


Just What He Needed

by Swlfangirl, tamnation



Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU, Dean/Cas Big Bang Challenge 2014, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M, Multi, Nanny!Castiel, One Chapter of smut, SingleDad!Dean, i make no apologies, mostly just fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-20
Updated: 2015-01-24
Packaged: 2018-02-26 09:23:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 45,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2646755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swlfangirl/pseuds/Swlfangirl, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tamnation/pseuds/tamnation
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean Winchester is at the end of his rope trying to make a life for himself and his four year old twins. When he finally asks for it, Sam and Jess help him navigate the world of child are options. He decides to hire a live-in nanny due to the intense vetting process and finds his prayers answered. Heavenly Care Inc. sent him an Angel, at least it feels like it. As it turns out Castiel James is just what he needed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please check out the absolutely amazing art by @blackinkedfeather [here](http://blackinkedfeather.tumblr.com/post/103148682596/just-what-he-needed-is-a-wonderful-story-and-i)
> 
>  

Dean Winchester reached for a wrench with one hand while the other fondly caressed the cool metal surface of his Impala. There was nothing he loved more than fine tuning his baby, and as far as he was concerned, getting grease and dirt under his nails was the perfect way to start his weekend. AC/DC blasted through the speakers, bringing an instant smile to his face. He even started to sing along and move his head to the beat as he stretched himself under the hood. His fingers worked quickly and eased through the familiar routine. The first part of the process was to double check the color, consistency, and levels of all the fluids. It had been quite a while since he’d gotten the girl out of the garage and he didn’t want the sedentary position to cause major damage. He was going to take full advantage of the rare time off to get through as much of the maintenance as he could.

Thirty minutes later while he was tightening the clamp on the battery, he dropped his wrench. It smacked against the hard concrete floor with a loud ping. Dean rushed to get it and stood back up without thinking and banged his head against the raised metal hood. Pain seeped into the back of his skull, and immediately reminded him of a few too many hangovers from plenty of other Saturday mornings. Drinking half the night away had been something of a Friday ritual back when he was younger, but he didn’t do things like that anymore. 

“Dammit!” he screeched as his hand reached up and covered the wound on the back of his head, carefully checking for marks, knots, or blood. Thankfully none of those three had happened yet, although he figured there would be a good sized lump later. Still, that meant the chances of a concussion or serious head trauma was considerably lower. 

Dean heard a distinct giggle nearby and closed his eyes with a heavy sigh, he really should pay more attention to his surroundings. He turned until he was face to face with his daughter, eyes wide open and obviously no longer asleep. At least he’d managed to get some of the basics covered today, which was more than he’d managed last weekend. Time to focus on the most important things in his life. He took in the sight of her with her long light brown locks still mussed from sleep and sticking up slightly on one side, and Dean just shook his head in amusement. He didn’t want to laugh but he couldn’t stop the small chuckle that bubbled out; she was friggin adorable.

Dean shut the stereo off before he spoke, and moved closer to the giggling four year old, still rubbing his sore head. “Annabeth, what are you doin’ out here, baby?”

“I’m hungry, Daddy!” she said, twisting her toes against the floor and tucking her hands behind her back politely. 

“Okay, Princess, let’s go wake your brother up and then we can make breakfast.” He wiped his hands off on an old rag and moved toward her, wiggling his blackened fingers. She squeaked and ran back through the door that led to their kitchen. With a roar, he chased after her and did a couple of laps around the island while she laughed, before stopping at the sink to wash the grime away.

Annabeth disappeared quickly now that the game was over, and she must have gone to Matty’s room because Dean hadn’t even finished scraping the last bits of black from under his nails before she reappeared, dragging her brother behind her. While his daughter was bright eyed and bushy tailed so to speak, his son was another story entirely. Matty had always been a late sleeper, and at that moment he seemed very close to drifting off where he stood. With his hair standing up at odd angles, he looked completely disheveled and he was rubbing his hands against his half lidded eyes.

They could not have been more different for twins. Hell, they were even born on separate days. Matty had been very little trouble and arrived just before midnight while Annabeth took some extra maneuvering and she’d managed to hang out long enough to claim her own birthday.

They worked together to make breakfast. Well, sort of. If by ‘working together’ you meant that Dean was the one doing almost everything except an occasional mixing or pouring job which was performed by Annabeth. Matty spent almost the entire time curled up into a ball on his chair with his head against the hardwood surface. From the soft snores coming from the table it seemed like he may have fallen asleep for at least some of the time it took to make the meal. However, the moment Dean finished plating and put the food out his son perked up immediately. 

The kids excitedly chattered about their plans for the day, as always utterly thrilled to have their Dad to themselves for the whole weekend. While Dean loved his kids, between looking after them and working a forty hour week, it was difficult to find any time to himself. An hour or two after they went to bed or sneaking around before they wake up in the morning just didn’t seem like enough sometimes. Sam and his fiance’ Jessica would usually drive over a few times a week to see the twins, but even then Dean never really felt comfortable leaving them alone. Both of them were more than capable of keeping an eye on their niece and nephew, but they weren’t Sam’s kids. They were Dean’s responsibility, and placing that weight on his brother’s shoulders so Dean could take his car for a spin or have a couple of beers at a bar would have left him feeling incredibly guilty. 

First stop on a Saturday morning was always a trip to the park. It gave Annabeth and Matty a chance to run around and work off some of the excess energy they always seemed to have and Dean could take the time to drink his coffee and plan out the week. This weekend was different. As the kids ran for the playground, they jostled against each other and Annabeth fell. Her knee was barely scraped, but Dean had run over the moment he saw her fall. Of course, the twins then erupted into a shouting match over whose fault the fall was. Dean could feel a headache building and he was getting disapproving looks from some of the other parents. Clearly, this was something that he should be handling better. 

Eventually, he convinced Matty to head over to the slides where there were a couple of boys his age, while Dean took Annabeth over to the swings. He pushed her until her tears settled and she just about talked his ear off about how it was all Matty’s fault, just like the spilt milk at breakfast or the toys that weren’t put away the night before. 

After the park they stopped off at the grocery store so that he could restock the cabinets. For two tiny people, it was kind of astounding how much food they went through in a week. The kids were usually well behaved at home, but for some reason it didn’t matter what he did, if there was shopping involved something always came to blows. This time it was Matty wanting Captain Crunch and Annabeth wanting Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Dean quickly offered to buy them both but it was too late to solve the problem and they’d already started to argue over which tasted better. Dean couldn’t do more than shake his head, and with a sigh he tried to move them on down the aisle to hopefully get the trip over with. As the argument escalated to a full on shouting match, Dean was forced to abandon his shopping list and grab the necessary stuff before he hightailed it for the checkout. The bored cashier working the register gave him a disgusted look, but Dean couldn’t bring himself to care.

“Straight up to your rooms, both of you.” Dean said in a flat tone when they pulled into the drive. The argument had mostly simmered down to glaring and the occasional pinch or prod when they thought he wasn’t looking, but they glared at each other accusingly now that they were actually in trouble.

“But, Daaaad,” they both whined, eerily in sync. It was one of the few twin things that happened every once in a while and seemed to have the sole purpose of making Dean feel like the bad guy.

“No but’s. You both know how to behave in public and you chose not to, so now you can go to your rooms.” They grumbled and sulked as they got out of the car, but seemed to be doing what they were told. Dean waited a moment longer, resting his forehead on the steering wheel with a groan of frustration. He loved his kids, more than anything in the world and he’d do anything for them. It was just some days he felt like he had absolutely no idea what he was doing. 

Unpacking the car without the kids trying to help was a much quieter task and he managed to put everything away in record time. He’d finally gotten a second to himself and despite the fact that he was physically moving, it was the most restful moment since he’d left the Impala. It was tempting to leave them to play in separate spaces for half an hour, but the occasional thud from Matty’s room was enough to convince him that wasn’t the brightest idea.

When he opened their doors, Annabeth gave him a kiss on the cheek and Matty mumbled an apology and a promise that he’d be good from now on. Which would probably be true right up until he got into another fight with his sister. Still, Dean would take what he could get. 

“Right, well I’ve got some work to do out front. D’you guys think you can play nice for a little bit,” Dean asked. It was Summer and he really couldn’t skip mowing the lawn for a second week in a row. Old Mrs. Jenkins had already filed a complaint with the Neighborhood Beautification Committee, he was sure that old hag had it out for him.

Both children nodded and followed him outside, pulling their light jackets closer as a mild wind blew around them when they opened the door. The kids found a ball to kick around over in one corner of the yard and Dean started to work quickly so that they could get back inside as soon as possible. Of course, things never went as planned and he found he was almost constantly stopping to move or rearrange toys that had been left scattered across the yard when the kids got bored of them. Half the stuff he put away, he found himself picking up a second or third time half an hour later after the kids had dragged it out again. 

When Dean finally finished the lawn care he wanted to get done, it was nearly dinner time. He bustled the kids back inside, turned the television on, and hoped it would entertain them long enough for him to grab a shower. The hot water beating down against his tired muscles felt amazing, even more so on his shoulders. The physical exertion wasn’t really enough to leave him this tired; he was still reasonably young and fit and active whenever he could be around his schedule. No, the utterly bone deep exhaustion that sank into his very soul more and more each week was stress, the constant worrying that he’s going to fuck this up, or worse still, he won’t be able to prevent something from happening to the twins. Hopefully in time he’ll get used to it, the weight of being responsible for two tiny humans, but at the moment the shower at least eased some of the tension.

He felt considerably better by the time he got to the kitchen and began cooking. Dinner was quick and tasty, and he was proud of the fact that neither of the twins complained about the veggies hidden in the lasagne. He gave himself this small victory, because it hadn’t been long ago that his cooking skills didn’t involve anything more difficult than picking up a phone to order takeout. The kids had even raved about what a good job he’d done and their opinions were obviously what was most important to him. 

They played Candy Land until bathtime and of course, Annabeth went first. She was always ready to wash the dirt away for the night which made it that much easier. Dean and Matty sat at a small table just outside the bathroom door and practiced their numbers and letters. The kids were both pretty smart for their age and Dean loved the time he got to spend teaching them new things. Annabeth was slightly more advanced than her brother, and Dean had considered putting her in a program that would teach her to read to feed her passion for knowledge and books… but sadly he couldn’t work it into his already full schedule. Matty would excitedly shout answers when his father would disguise the education as a game, but if he came to terms with the fact that he was learning it usually meant he was done trying. 

Tonight he managed to hold Matty’s attention for the full ten minutes that Annabeth was in the bath. Matty grumbled a bit, but for once he didn’t squirm or try and get away from Dean as he was stripped down and placed in the tub. Annabeth waited patiently for her brother to be settled in the bath before holding out her hair brush to her Dad with an expectant look. He quickly checked her hair to make sure she got all the soap out, he helped her not completely dry tush into her pajamas before he gave in to her unspoken demand. 

Matty needed a bit more supervision in the bath than his sister or he’d need a mop to get in the bathroom. So Dean pulled up a chair and lifted Annabeth up onto his knee so that he could reach her hair properly. He crooned a Black Sabbath song while he brushed until Annabeth started to wriggle. When he set her down, she disappeared for a moment before coming back with a book and demanding to be picked up again. Annabeth was content to flick through the pictures and she could even recognize some of the words. Dean told himself it was just because she’d memorized it, but that was mostly to negate the guilt over not encouraging her education further.

Once both the twins were finally clean and done for the night, they crowded into the full size bed in Matty’s room for story time. Dean read a Dr. Seuss book first, knowing that Matty was usually the easiest to get to sleep and was rewarded when his son’s eyes blinked droopily and then finally closed. Annabeth was quiet, but definitely still awake and she insisted on a story of her own. With a fond smile, he tucked her tightly against his side and began to read the Amelia Bedelia book to her. 

"Goodnight, Princess," he muttered softly against her forehead as they finished the book.

"I don't wanna be a princess anymore, I wanna be a pirate… oooh or maybe I can be a Pirate Princess!" Annabeth said with a huge smile, even as she let out a huge sleepy yawn.

"You can be anything you wanna be, babygirl, as long as you be it tomorrow...right now it's bedtime," Dean added with a kind smile.

She politely excused herself to her own bed, and tucked herself in after she gave him a quick hug and kiss. Annabeth seemed to take pride in the semblance of independence and Dean waited a whole ten minutes before he went by her door again to check and see if she was asleep. 

He went through the nightly routine and picked up toys, trash, and laundry. All the things that he hadn’t had time to do while the kids were still awake. He was kind of grateful that they’d spent half the day out because it meant that there was less to clean up. It was still almost an hour later when he finally finished and could get focused on getting himself into bed. 

Sleep never came easily to Dean. 

Too many nights had been spent tossing on uncomfortable bedding, plagued by chilling nightmares and the constant doubt. Even now, he lay there and one hand rubbed furiously against his face as he tried with everything he had to calm his mind. It never worked, of course. There were too many dark shadows lurking, and each time he closed his eyes the memories were waiting to dredge up the pain and guilt all over again.

The oldest and most terrifying was the `memory of the fire that claimed his mother’s life. He could still remember the smoke burning in his lungs and the weight of Sammy in his arms and those terrifying seconds when he didn’t think they were going to make it out at all. Since he was four, the dream had left him coughing from the phantom smoke and an overwhelming grief as the loss of his mother hit him all over again.

There were other nightmares of course. Far less often but still more often than he’d like, he dreamt about his father. He’d feel that hateful anger seething with resentment curl into his stomach like a dark weight, as his memories showed him just how little effort his dad had put in. The long hours away, the drinking, and that dark look in his eyes occasionally when Sam was in the room when he thought Dean wasn’t looking. His dreams taunt him with the darker possibilities of what could have been and leave him with a foul taste in his mouth. He did his best to shove those dreams back into his subconscious as soon as he woke, but the anger often lingered well into the next day and he simply didn’t have time to be pissed off at a dead man. 

More recently, he’d been dreaming of Lisa. 

They’d never had what anyone would call a relationship, but her loss was almost like a tangible weight in his life. She was never far from his mind and in a way, Dean had loved her. She’d been a wonderful person who’d given him two beautiful children. Before he’d shipped off to Afghanistan, they’d had a lot of fun together and even though they’d had a mutual agreement to keep in touch, it was more of a friendly check-in than some sort of long distance romance. 

Of course, when she’d finally gotten in touch with him and told him she was pregnant, he’d totally freaked out, hardcore oh-my-God-what-am-I-going-to-do freaked out. She’d told him that she was keeping the baby and if he didn’t want to be a part of it, she’d understand. After all, neither of them had expected this. They’d been safe, taken all the necessary precautions, and as it turned out, it really hadn’t made a difference. The boxes had said 99.8% effective for a reason, they’d just happened to be in the .2% margin this time. 

Dean had done what he could to be supportive, but there was only so much he could do from an active war zone half way across the world. It hadn’t been easy but he’d managed to wiggle around and traded all sorts of favors so that he could get some leave right about the time she was due. It had surprised both of them that he’d been there when she went into labor, but even now, It was by far the happiest night of his life.

Six amazing weeks later, he’d had to ship out again just as he was becoming attached to the twins. He‘d kept in contact as often as possible, but it wasn’t as much as he would have liked and it wasn’t the same as being there. They’d rarely ever got to talk and he’d hated learning about all the firsts he was missing. Lisa did a really good job of taking photos and videos for him though. It might have been a consolation prize, but it had been something to keep him going and he hadn’t been in any position to complain. 

Things had gotten much better when he came back. They didn't live together or anything, but he'd found himself a small place close by and he’d been able to see the twins at least a few times a week, sometimes overnight on the weekends. They’d been hesitant at first, but they’d soon warmed up to him and Dean had thought they’d enjoyed spending time with him, even if they’d always seemed all too happy to head home at the end of the day.

Everything had changed the previous year when Lisa got hit by a drunk driver and died on impact. Dean still flinched at the memory of getting the news, the complete shock that she was gone, and the following few weeks as they’d all shifted to some new semblance of normal. The twins hadn’t really understood what was happening, and they’d kept asking for her. Matty had cried himself into an exhausted sleep most nights and Annabeth had refused to talk to him for days, as if it was somehow his fault that she couldn’t go home. Buried underneath the weight of his own grief, Dean had felt so completely overwhelmed by the situation. He’d never even thought that he’d have the twins full time and he’d been completely unprepared.

He still wasn’t sure how he’d have gotten through those first few weeks if it hadn’t been for his kid brother, Sammy, and his best friend Benny. They’d been the glue that held him together; dropping in and making sure that he remembered to feed himself as well as the kids every day. Between the two of them, they’d watched the kids when he was beyond the point of exhaustion and somehow they’d always known when he needed a little help without him needing to ask. Eventually things had gotten better. 

Even now though, he hated that Lisa was gone. Not for himself, but for the twins. Dean still asked himself four or five times a day ‘what would Lisa have done’ and both of the kids still got teary whenever Lisa was mentioned. He’d never wanted his children to grow up without their mother like he’d had to. He did his best, but there was just so much he couldn’t do and he had no idea where to start. 

He used to lie in bed at night and wish it had been him instead. Hell, sometimes, if he were honest with himself, he still did. Lisa had been doing such a good job with the twins, and her death had cheated them out of that life. Now they were stuck with him full time, not to mention the fact that he had to work forty hours a week to make ends meet and they had to spend all their time in the company daycare. Not that it was a bad place or anything. In fact, all things considered, it was pretty decent. Still, after Lisa’s death, Dean hated leaving them alone and the Becky girl who was in charge of their age group was kind of scary. 

He’d debated asking for help for quite some time, but he had no idea how to go about it. The last thing he wanted was some random stranger coming into his house and raising his children but even Dean knew that things couldn’t go on like this. While he tried to juggle his job and everything else in his life, the stress of it all was bleeding over and affecting his ability to be thankful for the time he got to spend with his kids. 

Just before he drifted off into a fitful sleep, he made himself promise that he’d look into hiring someone to help out. In the meantime, he was sure he could ask for Sam and Jess’ help more often, lean a little on someone else. There was no point in making his kids suffer for his inability to admit that he couldn’t handle everything on his own. In the end, what was best for them meant more than his pride.


	2. Chapter 2

He’d spent half the night up worrying that he was making the wrong decision, so it wasn’t surprising that Dean overslept. Instead, he was awakened by the sound of giggling and the bed dipping to one side as his kids climbed in with him. He blinked his eyes open and was met by the twins smiling faces literally an inch from his own.

“Time to get up, Daddy,” Annabeth said and Matty nodded his head enthusiastically. Dean yawned and made a show of going back to sleep.

“Dad! Get up, get up!”

Tiny little fists poked at his shoulders, and he brought his own arms up to trap them, rolling over so that he could tickle their sides. They both screamed in delight and wriggled as they tried to get away. Matty jerked and pulled at the covers as if they were going to offer him some leverage to escape, but his green pajama pants just kept riding further down his body as his giggles became even louder. Annabeth on the other hand kept her hands open wide, delighting in the scratchy attempts at her sides. After a moment, he sat back and let them sit up.

“Alright, I’m up,” he said as he checked the clock by his bed. It was still early-ish but he’d hoped to get a couple of things done before the twins got up and that obviously wasn’t going to happen now. The decision he’d made the night before was still on the edge of his mind, and he knew he needed to call Sam as soon as he got a moment to himself or he’d chicken out. “Who feels like going to the bakery for breakfast?”

“Me!” they both chorused, with excited looks between them. Dean didn’t like to spoil them often, but he figured that today he could make an exception and there was a place down the road that made some really awesome things: everything from doughnuts to danishes and the best of all of them, in his opinion, were the apple turnovers.

“Alright you little punks, go get dressed,” he teased playfully.

Dean smiled fondly as he watched them both run out of the room, shoving a bit when they got to the doorway. When they were gone, he reached for his phone and called the first number on his speed dial.

“Hello?” Sam answered after the first two rings. The younger Winchester had always been more of a morning person and there wasn’t even a trace of sleep in his voice.

“Hey, Sammy. You and Jess got anything planned this morning?” Dean wasn’t really sure which answer he wanted. If Sam was free then that meant decisions had to be made, but if not he could put it off for a bit.

“We’re free. What’s up?” Sam asked, concern creeping in around the edges of the words. They saw each other often, but Dean tended to make plans and tell Sam rather than asking.

“I was… uh, kinda hoping you could give me a hand. I want to look into finding someone to help out with the kids. Becky just keeps getting creepier and every time I drop the twins off she stares at me making this weird humming noise.” Dean got the words out in a rush before he could stop himself, and they left a foul taste in his mouth. As casual as the statement was, it still felt like he was admitting defeat. He was their father, he should be able to take care of them.

“Finally!” Dean heard Jess say from the background, followed by some weird movement noises as the phone changed hands. “Seriously, Dean. You’re making the right decision. Give us half an hour and we’ll be there.”

“Me and the kids are gonna run down to the bakery for some breakfast. I’ll pick you guys up something.” It felt like a weight had lifted off his shoulders, and he was so relieved to hear nothing but warmth and love in her voice. At least they weren’t judging him.

“Sounds good,” Jess agreed. “We’ll see you soon, Dean. Say hi to the rugrats for us.”

They said their goodbyes and hung up. Dean chucked on a pair of jeans and a shirt that was passably clean, before heading towards the kids rooms. They were being awful quiet and around the twins, quiet was very, very suspicious.

He found them both in Matty’s room, the toys he remembered packing away the night before already strewn across the floor and both of them were busy trying to arrange Matty’s blankets into some sort of nest. They were dressed at least, although Dean suspected Annabeth had probably helped Matty with his buttons.

“Are you guys ready?” he asked, ignoring the mess for the moment because if he stopped to clean it up now, there was no way he’d be home by the time Sam and Jess got there.

“Yes, Daddy.”

“Alright then. Let’s get this show on the road.”

The walk to the bakery was pretty normal and by the time they got back, armed with a big box of mixed pastries, Sam and Jess were just pulling into the driveway. Annabeth let out a squeal of delight and they both immediately ran for the car.

Sam scooped Matty up onto his shoulders while Annabeth tugged on Jess’s arm, telling her all about the new doll that Dean had bought her last week that Jess absolutely had to see. Sam had sure picked a winner in Jess, because all she did in the face of the little girls adoring chatter was smile and allow herself to be dragged towards the house. Dean met his brother’s eyes with a fond eye roll and a shrug.

“Alright! Everybody inside and get cleaned up for breakfast.” Dean said, opening the front door wide and ushering them all into the house. As the kids washed their hands, Dean gave his brother and future sister in law a warm hug each.

“Thanks for coming.”

“All you have to do is ask,” Sam replied and Jess nodded. She was already in his kitchen pulling out plates for the pastries. By the time the kids got back, everything was all set up and Dean had snagged himself an apple turnover.

“So Munchkins, how would you feel about heading somewhere special with Uncle Sam today? I know for a fact that he’s got something great already planned, but if you’re not interested I’m sure he could find two other kids to take instead.” Jess had a playful sparkle in her eye and Sam was immediately bombarded with excited questions as both the twins try and guess what Sam had planned. 

Jess leaned in closer to Dean’s side during the ensuing racket and he arched one questioning eyebrow. He didn’t have a clue what his sister-in-law-to-be was getting at, because he was damn sure they hadn’t made any plans and the conversations he’d invited them over for weren’t ones that he wanted to have in public.

“Sam’s going to take the kids while you and I stay here. I don’t want to hear any complaints or excuses. Your brother is perfectly capable of watching them for a couple of hours and you and I need to have this conversation without distractions,” Jess explained quietly, taking a bite of a chocolate eclair. 

Dean swallowed down the immediate instinct to argue, to insist that he couldn’t make Sam do that. He trusted Sam more than anyone else in the world and his brother was offering to help. If he couldn’t let Sam take them for a couple of hours, how was he going to let a complete stranger? Running a hand over his face, he nodded and Jess gave him a warm smile. 

“Good. It’s settled.” 

Half an hour later, the breakfast foods had been put away and the kids climbed into Sam’s car with gleeful smiles. It would have been faster, but Matty had apparently thought it would be hilarious to hide a dead bug in his sister’s shoe and Dean had to spend ten minutes calming her down enough to get her shoes on. Sometimes his son reminded him of his younger self, and not really in a good way. 

From his car seat in the back, Matty waved at Dean who was leaning against the front door frame. Annabeth seemed to be far more preoccupied with the book she’d grabbed to read in the car. He knew it was one of her favorites and he’d made Sam promise to keep an eye out for it so that it didn’t get lost or damaged or left behind anywhere. As Sam opened the drivers door, he turned back towards the house and he gave Dean a look. He knew that look, it was his little brother’s ‘You’re being a dumbass and worrying about nothing, so chill’ look and he’d always found it equally annoying and comforting. Today, it helped reassure him that he was making the right decision. Dean watched the car until it turned the corner at the end of the street. Sighing, he spun around and went back inside the house; time to face the music. 

Jess had apparently come prepared, and the table was now covered with brochures and pamphlets and what looked like the start of a goddamn pro-con list. The whole thing suddenly seemed so much more overwhelming, and he sat down hard and dropped his head into his hands.

“Do I even want to know where you got all this stuff?”

“Oh, here and there. It’s always good to be prepared. Honestly, I’m surprised you haven’t asked for more help earlier.” Dean doubted that she meant anything by it, but the words came out tinged with disbelief and he scowled. He knew he wasn’t exactly the best parent; the fact that they were having this conversation at all was proof of that. Still, he’d thought that he’d been doing okay so far. 

“Hey, no. Whatever you’re thinking right now, just no. You’ve been doing a great job with the twins, but it breaks my heart to watch you running yourself into the ground to do it. Needing help is not a sign of weakness. When was the last time you had a moment to yourself? Not looking after the twins or cleaning up after them or working. When did you last spend some time doing something that you wanted to do for you?”

“I spent half an hour on the Impala yesterday morning,” he said a bit defensively.

“Okay, let me put it another way. If Sam and I had a baby and I wanted to hire a nanny, would that make me a bad parent?” she asked, keeping her voice calm and steady, as if she was talking to one of the twins. 

“Of course not! Sammy’s going to be a great lawyer but that sort of thing takes time, and nursing’s hardly an easy job. It’d be totally understandable if you needed someone to help out a bit.” Dean knew he’d be the first person to offer to help with his niece or nephew if Sam or Jess needed him to. 

“What if I decided to quit my job and stay home. If I still had a babysitter or a nanny a few times a week, would that mean that I didn’t care about my child?” Dean could only shake his head at the question, mouth gaping open like a fish. How could she even ask that? Of course he didn’t think that, but when he caught sight of her growing smile, he figured that she already knew that. 

“So it’s okay for two people in a supportive relationship to need a little help from time to time. Unless you have some sort of parenting superpowers, then you need to cut yourself some slack. You work full time and you’re all by yourself trying to look after those two kids. You’re a great dad Dean, but you can’t keep running yourself ragged just because you don’t want to ask for help. What do you say? Should we try and sort this mess out, or do I need to lecture you some more?”

Dean gave a small chuckle, before picking up one of the closest flyers. “I can take a hint. So where do we start?”

They spent an hour or so looking through all the different organizations and babysitters that Jess had found information on. They discussed finances and monthly expenses and budgeting until Dean was mostly regretting ever asking for her help. He’s sure he would have messed everything up without Jess there, and he probably would have just shoved all the ads in a hat and gone with the first one he pulled out. At the moment, even knowing that with his luck he’d have wound up with some crazyass hobo, random chance still seemed like the more interesting option. 

“So if you were me, which one would you pick?” he asked finally, because there were so many different options it was making his head spin. There was information on playgroups and daycares and early learning centers and babysitters and live-in nannies and the whole thing was enough to make him want to bang his head against a wall. 

"Honestly if I were you, I'd go for a live-in care professional. They're the most expensive, but they are better all around. They're educated, they're dependable, and they have the most strict application process and background checks," Jess said, a thoughtful expression across her delicate features. She paused for a moment before carefully removing three different brochures from the pile.

“Okay. I guess that sounds alright,” Dean said slowly, wishing he had a beer or maybe even something stronger. He really did like the idea of having someone else help out around the house, and maybe with an extra person around he’d be able to have time to spend with each of the twins one on one. Still, it would definitely take some getting used to though. “So what’s the next step?”

“We'll look over some of the different ones and see if you like the look of them. But right now, we should probably think about the short term because it might take a while to go through the application processes. Sam’s got a few weeks before classes start back, so if you want, we could come stay here for a bit and give you a little more freedom. Think about it,” she insisted, even as he opened his mouth to protest. Then she smiled, and gave him a shove on the shoulder. “But the very first thing we need to do is to get you to cut yourself some slack and I think a good way to start is to get your cute butt out to that garage and take care of your other baby!" 

That was quite possibly the best idea he’d heard all morning. Even as he stood, he was imagining how good it would feel to slide under his baby’s hood without worrying about interruptions or if he’d left any of the more dangerous tools where the kids could get to them. He hesitated for only a moment when he saw Jess straightening up the papers.

“Are you sure you don’t want a hand with that?”

“Go, Dean,” she said with a fond smile, before quite literally chasing him out of the room.


	3. Chapter 3

Matty and Annabeth were super thrilled that Uncle Sam and Aunt Jessie were coming to stay. The couple were camped out in Dean’s guest bedroom, and honestly, he wasn’t sure how he’d coped without them. Sure, they all had to make some adjustments, but overall it had gotten much better. He had to keep reminding himself not to get used to it, that it was only until they found a more permanent solution. His smile seemed to have become fixed on his face, so he’d definitely done the right thing asking for help.

In the last few days, Dean had even managed to take the Impala out for a spin, found time to grab a beer with Sam, and called Benny to check in because it had been way too long since he’d been able to find the time for more than a quick ‘I’m not dead’ text. Spending time with the kids was more enjoyable and just better in every way. The twins still argued, they were still uncontrollable when shopping, and getting Matty in the bath hadn't become magically easy overnight, but he felt like the crushing weight that had been resting on his shoulders seemed to have lifted and even putting up with the bickering seemed easier. The time to himself just made him able to savor the time he did have with them.

The twins definitely seemed happier with the new arrangements, especially when Monday came around and they didn’t have to go to daycare or see ‘Crazy Becky’ as Matty called her. It gave Dean the motivation that he needed to look through all the different agencies as he tried to work something more permanent out. Jess helped when she could, but mostly she helped by keeping the kids busy long enough for Dean to work his way through the stack of brochures. He’d narrowed it down to two or three by the end of the week and he was contemplating them over a cup of coffee at the breakfast table when Jess came up behind him. 

“Are those your finalists?” she asked, sliding into the chair next to him after making a coffee of her own. 

“Yeah. I’m definitely going for live-in care. If I’m doing this, I might as well go all out. These two have the best screening processes and only good reviews. But I have no idea how I’m going to choose between them.”

“Oh, Heavenly Care Inc. Miranda from work went through them to get her live-in. She swears it was the best decision that she ever made and the nanny they sent her is literally an angel,” Jess said as she picked up the glossy brochure and flicked through it. 

“Sounds good to me.” Dean pushed the other flyer into the pile of other discarded agencies. The other thing he liked about that one was that they had a local headquarters, so he would be able to go in and meet them in person rather than relying on email or phone. “I’ll make an appointment for early next week.”

“Take Sam with you, he can help with all the legal jargon if you get down to talking contracts and things. I’ll watch the twins,” Jess offered, bumping her shoulder against his in a comforting gesture. Dean let out a sigh of relief now that the decision had been made.

He could do this.

-~-

He couldn’t do this.

Standing outside Heavenly Care Inc. and looking up at the unassuming building front with it’s posters filled with smiling children, and all Dean wanted to do was get back in the car and go home. Having some extra help would be good, but he was fairly sure if he stepped inside it’d feel like giving up.

“You going in, Dean? Or did we drive out here so you could stare at a door?” Sam teased and bumped his shoulder against Dean’s. The gesture was a familiar comfort and it helped settle some of the nerves that had his stomach doing flip-flops. 

“Shut up, Bitch. I’m going in.” To prove his point, he started striding to the door without even checking to see if Sam was coming. 

“If you say so, Jerk,” Sam said with a look of genuine amusement spreading across his face. 

The inside of the building was slightly more comforting, and the redheaded receptionist behind the desk gave them a smile and a friendly wave as she gestured for them to take a seat. The table in front of him was filled with glossy women’s magazines and a handful of child safety brochures, and Dean dug through the pile looking for anything about cars or hunting or even a fishing magazine.

Thankfully, he didn’t have to wait long before a deep southern accent called his name. When he didn’t instantly jump to his feet, the woman in the doorway rolled her eyes and added, “Well come on in. I ain’t got all day.”

He stood quickly and moved through the door with a muttered sorry to the woman. She was an African American lady, starting to get on in years and she reminded Dean of someone’s momma or grandma; sweet as pie when she wanted to be, but there was something about her that told him he didn’t want to get on her bad side. 

Sam seemed to find this all entertaining as he took one of the seats in front of the lady’s desk and pulled his brother down into the chair next to him. Dean tried not to fidget as the woman, Missouri Moseley according to her nameplate, sat down in front of them with a very serious look on her face. 

“So Dean, I hear you want to contract one of our Angels to help care for your children. Of course, I’ll need to ask you a few questions to work out if we find the right fit for you. Can you tell me about your kids?” 

“Well, they’re twins but they were, uh, born on different days. Matty was born first and he’s a bit of a joker. I mean, he’s a good kid, but he does like to pull pranks sometimes. Annabeth was born just after midnight, and she’s like, crazy smart. I think she’s read more books than me already, and she’s four.” Sam elbow connected with his arm and Dean realised with a sudden start that he was rambling. He felt a flush of embarrassment creep along the back of his neck, and he shut his mouth quickly. 

“Honey, there ain’t nothing wrong with a man being proud of his kids. Now, how many hours a week would you need the caregiver to work?”

“Well, I...uh, work full-time and the daycare at work just isn’t working for us. I was kinda hoping we could get someone to do about 40 to 45 hours a week.” Dean felt a little selfish, asking for the extra hours. If he could get someone to do 40 hours at least it would cover the time he was at work, but the last week had gotten him used to having at least a little time to himself and he wasn’t looking forward to losing that again. 

“And what made you choose a live-in caregiver. There must be other daycares in the area, surely you could send them there rather than having someone around full-time.” 

There was something about the way she asked that made him feel on edge. Dean had known this was a bad idea. The situation wasn’t really that bad, he didn’t really need someone there to help 24/7. He’d just have to try harder in the future, do better, and look into some of those other daycares because hell no, the twins were not going back to Becky. He moved to stand, already mumbling about finding other options when Sam grabbed his arm and pulled him down. 

“You have to understand, Ms Moseley, my brother loves his kids. Their Mom died a year ago, and he’s been basically killing himself to be the best father he could be. All he’s asking for is a couple of hours to himself outside of work so that he has enough energy to give the twins the attention they deserve,” Sam stated in his best would-be-lawyer voice, and Dean was more grateful than ever that he’d brought his brother with him. Even if he did mean sitting through the chick-flick moments. 

“Oh, Sug. Don’t you worry ‘bout a thing. There ain’t nothin’ wrong with asking for help and the only thing I’ve heard today is a proud Daddy who’s hit a rough patch. I think I’ve got just the Angel for you, so I’ll get you started on the paperwork.”

“So how does it work? Is it like a Monday to Friday gig or what?” Dean asked, flicking through the stack of paperwork he’d just been handed. There was legal stuff, checklists, some sort of questionnaire about preferences, and a profile for each of the kids to fill out. He handed it over to Sam to have a look through. 

“You and your angel can work out your own schedule, but most of our caregivers are happy to help out and work extra hours. Most just ask for one day off a week. Now, Hun, this can take a couple of weeks to find the right match for you. If you need some extra help around the place, our receptionist Charlie, is an excellent sitter and I’m sure she’d be happy to help.” Missouri offered with a warm smile. 

“So this all looks great. Can we email it back once it’s done?” Sam asked, getting up out of his chair. 

“That’ll be fine, Dean. With the children’s profile, we’ve found that we get better results if kids fill it out themselves.” Missouri stood as well, moving around the desk to show them out. Dean stood as well, feeling much better about the whole thing. He wasn’t expecting to be pulled into a warm hug on his way out the door, but it was definitely comforting.

“Everything’s going to be fine, Sug. You’ll see.”

-~-

After their bath that evening, Dean dug out the forms from the Heavenly Care Inc. packet and asked the kids to meet him on the couch. Sam and Jess had decided to go out for the evening to give him a little space to have this conversation, so it was just the three of them plopped down on the couch. 

“Okay guys, we need to have a little talk. You know how Uncle Sammy and Aunt Jessie have been staying here lately?” he asked, and the kids nodded in response.“Well they can’t stay for much longer, because Sammy starts school pretty soon and Jess will go back home with him because your uncle would be lost without her.” He let out a deep chuckle at his brother’s expense.

Annabeth and Matty’s faces both dropped at the news, but his son was the first to speak up. “Do we have to go back and stay with Becky again?” 

Dean laughed at the flat out disgusted look on both of their faces. “Not if I can help it, bub. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I’ve found someone to babysit for a few weeks after Sam and Jess leave. But also.. I wanted you to know that I went to a company today and filled out some papers, and hopefully when they get back to me... they’ll have someone that wants to come and live with us and take care of you while Daddy’s at work and sometimes even when I’m home. They won’t be here forever but if I’m lucky, they’ll stick around until you guys start school. What do you think about that?”

Both of the twins started talking excitedly; asking all kinds of questions about this new person that was going to be in their lives and Dean didn’t have any answers for them, so he changed the subject.

“Look guys, they haven’t found the person yet, so I don’t know anything about them. But I’m supposed to ask you these questions and they’ll send your answers out to some people until they find someone who wants to come here.” They both gave him a rather skeptical look but they seemed to calm down a little more with each question that he asked and he couldn’t help but smile at every single one of their answers. 

 

Services Requested: Live-in Childcare and Light Cooking  
Household: Winchester  
Date Expected: September 18, 2011  
Other Requirements: 30-day Trial, If approved by both sides no shorter than 6 month contract. 

Given Name: Matthew Lucas Winchester  
Preferred Name: Batman (Matty)  
Date of Birth: February 14, 2007  
Age:4  
Medical Concerns: N/A  
Likes: Movies, Music, Dinosaurs, and Playing Pirates  
Dislikes: Vegetables, Girly Stuff, and The Dark  
Problem Areas: Teasing Sister, Pranking, Not Eating Vegetables.

Given Name: Anna Beth Winchester  
Preferred Name: Annabeth  
Date of Birth: February 15, 2007  
Age:4  
Medical Concerns: Allergic to strawberries, Slightly Asthmatic  
Likes: Books, Pinks, Playing Pirates, and Taking Pictures.  
Dislikes: Loud music daddy plays in the garage, Dresses, CLOWNS!!!  
Problem Areas: Sneaky, Can cry on command (better watch out for that) and cursing… I try to watch myself but sometimes I don’t know she’s there, like I said... sneaky.


	4. Chapter 4

Castiel James was officially applying for a job. All he had to do was fill out this application, manage to convince the interview panel that he was responsible and pass the company’s rigorous background check and then he’d officially be a childcare professional. The opportunity would give him a chance to get some actual hands on experience with children. He’d spent the better part of the last decade earning two degrees, one in Child Psychology and the other in Education. He finally felt he was ready to face the challenge of actually interacting with the small people and not just observing. He was determined to prove to himself and others that he hadn’t just wasted the last eight years of his life. Now if only he could get through these forms.

Name: Castiel James Well that’s easy enough... he told himself, as he continued down the list until he’d made his way through the obligatory demographic information and into the more engaging questions. Halfway down the page he found a question that really made him think. What is the best thing you believe you could take away from this experience? It made him stop and pause. He’d considered all the things he’d planned to help the children with, maybe even encourage and educate them, but he’d never once asked himself what he hoped to get out of it, aside from the interaction. After careful consideration he answered as honestly as he could.

Most of the rest of the form was a lot less thought provoking, but he diligently filled out the detailed checklist and verification numbers for all his special skills. It was monotonous, checking the boxes and then adding phone numbers, some of which he’d even had to look up but once he’d finished, it felt good to know he could offer a family so many things. Castiel wasn’t a prideful person, but when over a dozen of the small squares had a pen mark through them, he felt a warmth in his chest that felt something like love. It was a feeling he only recognized thanks to his step-sister Anna; her love was the only type he'd ever known.

The written form took him an hour to fill out, but it was still finished fairly quickly considering the rest of the application process could stretch out for the next few weeks. They needed to do background checks, contact almost everyone he knew, and they were going to send him in for medical screenings. The whole process seemed a bit overwhelming but he honestly didn’t mind. In the meantime, he’d work on adding to his skills, maybe renew his CPR license. 

Anna had been right when she said it would be a very long and excruciating process but he found it comforting to know he wasn’t going to be working for some two-bit agency that just required him to sign on the dotted line. But it was still a long three weeks before they finally called and offered him a position, and he was left waiting for his first service request.

With his classes being over and not being able to take another job, he had far too much time on his hands. He tried to busy himself with reading, and rereading his texts like he was studying for the ultimate final, but he knew it wouldn’t really have any practical application and he found himself skimming more often than not. It was just to keep himself calm more than anything else. His nerves had been on edge since he’d finished the Heavenly Care Inc.’s obstacle course for obtaining the job. 

It was difficult not to imagine what his first assignment would be like. He hated giving himself false expectations, however, it seemed natural that his mind was curious about what was to come next in this new stage of his life. He thought about the children. Would there be one? Five? Surely not more than five. The thought of it being more than three was enough to give him a bit of a panic attack. 

He wondered if the parents would be cold and power hungry, or warm and loving but too busy to do it alone. He hoped for both the children’s and his own sake that he was at least matched with someone who gave a damn about their kids. He wasn’t sure he could sit idly by everyday and not say something if they were anything like his own parents. His father had been icy and distant in every sense of the word, while his stepmother was the epitome of fairy tale villains. It was one of the reasons he wanted to do something better with his life. He never expected to have children of his own; so helping someone else’s was the closest thing he could think of. 

 

It was a Thursday when Castiel stumbled into the kitchen in a haze that resembled functional but it wasn’t a particularly accurate assessment. He flipped the coffee pot on and laid his head down against the hard wood of the dining table, unwilling to fully wake up before the warm caffeine was actually inside him. Finally, after what had felt like an eternity waiting for the coffee to brew, he poured himself a mug and sank into it’s delicious flavor. It was one of the very small and sacred rituals he had, only allowing himself one cup of that particular brew daily, but it was magnificent every single time.

After a few sips, he considered himself alert enough to face the day. He moved into the living room and fired up his laptop to check his messages, praying just as he had every day since finishing his application that he’d finally have a service request. His heart started to beat faster and his leg began to shake involuntarily when he saw that there was an email from Heavenly Care Inc. in his inbox. He quickly clicked the subject line that said “Service Request for Castiel James” before his nerves became completely overwhelming.

Castiel brushed the stray strand of hair away from his eyes and scratched against his scalp nervously as he read. It suddenly hit him that this was really happening, and that if he accepted he’d be moving in with complete strangers within a matter of weeks. He wasn’t exactly what anyone would call a “people person”, and the idea was so far out of his comfort zone that it should have filled him with dread. However, when he opened the file and started reading, he felt a warmth radiating inside him. The answers were open and honest, and it was clear that the parent, a Mr. Dean Winchester, had taken the time to obtain his children’s answers instead of just filling out the application himself. Well, with the exception of each child’s problem areas, of course. The pay was significantly more than he’d expected, not that it really mattered. Castiel would have taken the job either way and it wasn't as if it would be forever...he just needed to have practical interactions with real children. 

He scrolled to the bottom of the email and found a list of contact options, requesting that he initiate discussion between him and his respective future employer before signing the contract. It was intimidating, but necessary to put both himself and the parent at ease. He could not imagine that allowing a total stranger from the streets into your home was desirable under any circumstances, but it was nice that they could at least have a conversation and make sure that there weren’t going to be too many conflicts.

There were three options: email, phone, or contact via Skype. He weighed them carefully and decided an email was too cold and impersonal; he didn’t really want that. A phone call would be nice, not too intimate and not too formal, but a Skype call would be a means to do both the voice chatting as well as perhaps video. He didn’t want to get his hopes up, but he really did want to see the children he’d be caring for if things worked out and the parents trusted him. After a few minutes of a back and forth over the options, he decided a phone call would be the best place to start and then if they wanted to converse another way he’d be more than willing to oblige.

He dialed the number on the screen and let out a sharp breath, hoping that it would help his nerves settle just a little. It wouldn’t be good to sound as apprehensive as he felt about this new part of his life. He needed to be someone that was confident and reassuring. So he spent what little time he had trying to find that person. It still didn’t quite prepare him for the gruff voice that answered the other end. 

“Hello?”

“Hi yes, Is this someone from the Winchester household?” Castiel asked, fidgeting with the sleeve of his shirt. 

“Look, buddy, whatever it is you’re sellin, I ain’t interested.”

“I’m not selling anything, Mr. Winchester. This is Castiel James. I’m calling in response to your Child Care Service Request from Heavenly Care Incorporated,” he added in his most professional tone, although he was fairly sure there was a defensive edge to it. But then he hadn’t really expected the strong masculine voice on the other end to be so intimidating. 

“Oh, Oh God. I’m sorry, man.. I didn’t mean to uh… well nevermind. I’m at work right now so I can’t really talk but I’d like to reschedule for later if you’re not too busy?”

“Of course, Mr. Winchester. What time is good for you?” Castiel smiled at the sudden shift in the man’s voice. It was nice to know the man wasn’t as brash with everyone as he was towards telephone salesmen. 

“You can call me Dean, and I’ll try to give you a call back around six… Is that cool with you?”

“Of course. I apologize if I’ve inconvenienced you in any way and look forward to hearing from you this evening,” Castiel said with a smile on his face. As he hung up, he allowed himself to feel a tiny glimmer of hope. Once they’d gotten over that initial misunderstanding, the conversation had been almost easy. There was something about talking to Dean that was almost comforting, allowing Castiel the chance to relax.

Of course, it was going to be hours before he’d be able to find out more about this new opportunity, and he’d go crazy if he spent all day mentally going over the limited information from the file and brief conversation. Instead, Castiel spent the rest of his day cleaning up and trying his best to forget the impending call. He’d almost managed to do so by dinner time when he started cooking. The concentration and focus of making the meal was enough to distract him completely for over an hour. The Four-Cheese Ravioli Recipe he’d tweaked was one of his favorite dinners to make as well as eat; not quite at the top, but then nothing could beat an old-fashioned, greasy bacon cheeseburger which he only allowed himself on special occasions.

When he finished eating, he checked the clock and it was well beyond six and for a moment he wondered why he hadn’t received a call yet. There was a brief flicker of anxiety that maybe Dean had changed his mind, but the more rational side of his mind quickly pointed out that, for all he knew, Dean might not be in the same time zone. There’d been no information in the briefing packet about location to protect the families, but if he was further west than Castiel then it could be hours before the man had time to get back to him. His head fell in disappointment; it seemed that he would just have to find some way to occupy his time again. 

He signed on Skype, hoping that his sister Anna would be online and maybe she could walk him through what to do now that he had received his first request. That she’d already gone through the process and was able to help was like a lifeline that he clung to in the face of the unknown. Luckily, he saw the small green oval beside her name and he instantly felt at ease. He clicked on the call button and she picked up right away. 

-Call Connected with Anna Milton-

Castiel watched as the small square popped up and he could see his sister’s face. Modern technology always fascinated him. He was in New York City and his sister was in California, and they were still able to communicate face to face. Although he struggled to have things work properly most of the time, he would never take this gift for granted. “Hello Anna, It’s so good to see you again.” 

He saw her face light up just a little; he always loved it when that happened. It helped him to know the difference between those who enjoyed his company and those who didn’t. He knew that Anna cared about him and truly did missed their conversations; her wide smile and bright eyes told him that. “Hey Castiel I’ve missed you terribly. Things have been really busy here. The kids start school this week and I’ve spent the last two weeks helping them re-do their entire wardrobes.” 

Castiel knew his sister was trying to complain, but he also knew her love of shopping wasn’t really selling the disgruntled worker vibe she was aiming for. He sat back, crossed one leg over the other and adjusted his glasses before continuing. “That’s nice. I wanted to tell you. I got my first Service Request today. I think I’m going to take it.” 

Anna’s smile went even wider as she took in the words, her body rocketing out of the chair and moving her feet around as she danced to some unknown beat. “I knew you’d get one quickly!” 

Castiel couldn’t help the small smile that crept up his face and grew even wider. The fact that his crazy sister was literally jumping around the room made him feel lighter than he had the entire day. Anna had always managed to be an inspiration as well as the silver lining on his cloud. She saw the most, celebrated the best, and brought more out of him than anyone or anything else ever had. He cleared his throat and waited for her to take her seat again. “I was hoping you’d tell me what I should do now. The father should be calling be back soon and I’d like to be as prepared as possible.”

“Castiel, you only have to be yourself. Well okay maybe not completely yourself. Just treat him as you would me. He’s not a fellow classmate, or an instructor. You’ll be living with this man for at least six months, right? Treat him as if he were family. You know, the kind you like though,” she added with a small smirk playing on her lips, as she flipped her bright red hair up into a quick bun.

“Wow, that was incredibly helpful sister. Please do be more vague next time so I can truly be prepared,” Castiel said with a roll of his eyes as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. He huffed out a sigh and even managed a small laugh at the situation. She was his sister, and really he supposed he should have expected that sort of unhelpfulness from Anna. She was more of a leap without looking type of person. Castiel was more of the ‘I don’t think it would be a wise decision to leap anywhere, despite what you see below you’ kind of person. 

“That’s what I mean, Cassie! Just relax and try not to be so official and you’ll do fine. He’ll probably just want to know you’re not insane and haven’t slipped under the radar,” she chuckled as she moved off screen. 

“I’ll do my best. Thank you, Anna. I will let you return to your evening but I’ll call you again soon to let you know how it goes, even if it’s on the phone.” He gave her a soft smile before she nodded and he disconnected the call. 

-Your Call Has Ended-

“Well that was completely useless,” he muttered to himself as he moved back into the kitchen and cleared the table. He tried to soothe his mind while he worked methodically to clean his dishes and hummed along with a classical tune he loved. He’d just dipped his hands into the warm water when he heard his phone. He grabbed at the towel and stumbled over to the counter with a pressing sense of urgency, picking up the phone with his hands still partially wet.

“Hello Dean,” he answered without even bothering to check the number. It had to be Dean, considering he’d just stopped talking to Anna and he rarely received calls from anyone else.

“Hey Cas, you busy?”


	5. Chapter 5

Dean clicked through the sections over and over again. The presentation was flawless, but he honestly had nothing else to do. If it wasn't the only way he knew how to make a decent life for his kids, he’d have left ages ago. Walter Braeden had been generous to give him this job even though he wasn’t really qualified for it, but he hated every damn minute of it. As Director of Communications, he’d picked up on what he needed to do quickly. He could probably do it in his sleep if it wasn’t for the face to face aspect every once in a while. It wasn’t challenging or enjoyable and his co-workers were always trying to “get to know him”, although he was never sure if they were just using him to get ahead or if they were actually interested in him. Either way, Dean didn't have time for that, nor did he want to make time. 

He watched an excruciatingly slow hour pass until it was finally time for the meeting. He just had to get through his presentation and then he would be mostly done for the day. He was looking forward to getting it over with. His feet moved even faster toward the conference room, when the clumsy secretary from three doors down barrelled through the break room and ran smack dab into him. It was pure coincidence that his reflexes were fast enough to keep the steaming pot of coffee from dumping out over his suit. Just when he’d righted the two of them, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He checked the clock and still had a couple minutes, so without looking he answered. 

Dean shook his head and sighed after the call ended. He continued to the conference room feeling more than a little disappointed in himself that he'd been so rude to the guy, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it until later. When, if he was lucky, Castiel would give him a chance to apologize. Thankfully Dean made it through the presentation with no problems. He’d been prepared for two weeks and could have gone over the dialogue in his sleep. 

He finished out the day at the office and made his way home, hoping he could claim a minute to himself before Charlie took off and left him with the kids. He really wanted things to work with Castiel, because he’d already waited three weeks between his appointment with Missouri and the phone call he had received earlier. He didn’t want to think about how long it would be before they could find someone else who was interested in helping him out.

He turned off the ignition, crossed his arms over the steering wheel, and let his head fall against them. Sam and Jess really stepped up for him. Charlie was a Godsend as well, volunteering to take over until someone was found. He groaned and tried not to think about how things had been getting so much better, so of course he’d screwed himself over at the first opportunity. Castiel hadn’t seemed phased by what had happened so he tried to hold onto that. He stepped inside the house from the garage and was immediately confronted by the very paint soaked hands of his son who was looking for attention.

“Woah there.. easy boy.. I need to change clothes before you come any closer.” Dean said with a smile as Charlie ran in behind Matty. 

“I’m so sorry, Dean. Little hobbit got away from me,” she said with a fond smile toward his smirk wearing son. He couldn’t help the laugh that fell out.

“It’s okay. Charlie could you give me about ten extra minutes today? I got a call this morning from a prospective...N-A-N-N-Y… I’d like to return it,” Dean asked. He knew she wouldn’t really mind, but it bothered him to ask all the same. Only the fact that asking her for ten minutes now would mean that he could stop taking so much from her in the future let him ignore the small pang of guilt. 

“Sure, man, I’ll just get these hobbits cleaned up a bit. Take your time, Dean. There’s no rush,” Charlie added, before latching onto Matty’s head with her fingers in a gentle claw-like position and led him away from his father’s very expensive suit. 

Dean changed into his most comfortable outfit before plopping down on his bed and holding his head in his hands. Leave it to him to lash out at someone, leaving that as his lasting first impression. He slid his palm down the length of his face, digging into his cheeks as he hoped to gain some clarity on the situation. He needed this to work. More importantly, his kids needed this to work, so if he needed to he’d plead, beg, grovel, whatever he had to do, he’d do it to make this work. 

Finally he stopped thinking, took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He felt the race of his heart slow just a little before he dialed the numbers. The phone rang twice before he heard the deep gravel on the other end and couldn’t help but let out a huff in relief that the guy had at least answered the call. He apologized once more just for good measure and Castiel seemed to be cool and understanding about the whole thing which helped him relax.

“Cas, I really hate to cut this so short but my temp babysitter has already agreed to stay a few minutes later and I don’t want to keep her waiting any longer than I have to. I was hoping that we could talk on Skype when the kids go to bed around eight if it’s not too late for you?”

“That should be eleven here, I’m usually not in bed before midnight so anytime before that would be acceptable. I understand that sometimes things don’t always go as you’d like when you’re dealing with children, but I do ask that if you can’t be online before midnight just send me a text or something.” 

He didn’t sound upset so Dean took that as a win even though he hadn’t realized how the three hour time difference came into play. It almost made him want to rescind his offer but he just couldn’t. He wanted to make things work out, and quickly. He loved Charlie but he was also eager to get the kids settled into a normal schedule as opposed to bouncing around all the time.

“Awesome. Thanks, Cas. I gotta go now but we’ll talk later.”

“Indeed. Goodbye Dean.”

Dean ended the call feeling much lighter than he had before Although it was a very brief conversation, it had calmed almost all of his fears about having screwed things up and he thanked whoever was watching out for him that this might still work. He didn’t even notice the smile on his lips until he walked by the mirror beside his door and played it off as a reflex from his now relieved state of mind. 

He hurried down the stairs and yelled for Charlie before padding into the kitchen. He lifted the lid on the roast he’d put in the slow cooker; it was perfect and the meat practically fell apart just from the fork. He grabbed a large platter and used a fair amount of ingenuity to get the tender chunk of pork onto it while still in one piece. He was going to shred it soon, but it was always easier to not have to worry about small bits falling into the liquid mess. Just as he was about to start pulling it apart, Annabeth and Matty both barrelled into the kitchen and begged to help.

“PPLEASEEE!” Their eyes were wide, pleading with him in a way that even Sammy hadn’t managed to accomplish at their age. 

“Guys, I would love for you to help but this is really hot right now and if we wait for it to cool off enough for you to touch it, dinner is going to be really late tonight. How bout’ I let you help with the dessert as soon as I get this shredded up and back into the pot?”

“What are we having for ‘zerts?” Matty asked. He’d known for quite sometime that he wasn’t saying it correctly, and much to his sister’s chagrin, it didn’t seem likely that he’d change that quirk. But if Dean were being completely honest, he’d admit that he found it incredibly adorable. 

“I was thinking maybe a fruit pizza?” Dean smiled, knowing it was their second favorite next to ice cream. 

Both of them proceeded to dance happily around the kitchen as Charlie gathered up her stuff. He couldn’t help but laugh out loud as she inched closer to the door, looking at the roast as if she could devour it whole. He couldn’t believe that in the two weeks she’d spent at his house he’d never invited her to dinner, mostly because he couldn’t imagine wanting to work when you didn’t have to. But then, not everyone despised their job as much as he did. If there was one thing he’d learned in that short time, it was that Charlie absolutely adored his kids. If she’d been willing he could have cut out the middleman and just hired her, but she said she didn’t like doing the longer jobs and that they made it far too difficult to walk away. Which made him laugh because he knew no matter what happened, that girl was gonna be a part of his life even after she wasn’t working for him anymore.

“Guess I’ll be going now,” she said quietly as her hand reached absently at the doorknob.

“Charlie would you like to stay for dinner?” He barely got the words out because he’d laughed even harder at her pathetic attempt to leave.

“Well if you insist. I heard something about fruit pizza?” she smiled brightly and sat her bag back under the table as the kids started dancing again. 

“You sure did, gimme a hand with shredding this meat and we can put it in the pot, add some barbeque, and by the time the dessert goes in the fridge it should be done.” he added flicking a small, short strand of pork at her and watching her face turn even brighter as it fell a measly couple inches in front of him.

They finished preparing the roast and let the kids “roll” out the sugar cookie dough, which just consisted of Matty beating it with the rolling pin and Annabeth scolding him for it. Eventually Dean pressed the dough back into a reasonable ball and rolled it out into an even layer big enough to fit nicely on the pizza pan. They put it in the oven and waited patiently; surprisingly even the kids didn’t put up much of a fuss while it was baking. He couldn’t help but think that Charlie being there had a little something to do with it. 

After the warm dough settled enough to put in the fridge, Dean and his lovely redheaded assistant began chopping up the fruit pieces and mixing together the “frosting” which really just consisted of cream cheese and marshmallow cream. It was messy, but the he let the kids sneak a bite occasionally. Finally, they spread the creamy mixture over the dough and he let the kids add the sliced fruit. They used banana circles, grapes, and kiwi instead of the traditionally used strawberries because Annabeth was allergic to them.

They teased one another and goofed around while they assembled their dessert and managed to spend almost the entirety of their meal chatting, laughing, and telling stories. Eventually it was time to put the kids to bed and Charlie gave them both a big squeezing hug and said goodbye. She left with a comforting pat on his shoulder and a whisper that it would all be fine, before she headed out the door. 

The kids were suspiciously eager and helpful during their bathtimes; even Matty hadn’t kicked up his usual fuss, so of course Dean knew something was up. He would have mentioned the odd behavior had he not learned his lesson the hard way. The moment he talked about it, they’d ask for whatever it was they wanted and he’d have to make a decision. If things went in the kids' favor, everything would be fine; if Dean had to be the bad guy, well he just didn't have time for that tonight. 

Dean went through the routine of reading one of Matty’s books. This time it was “Oh the Places You’ll Go,” because he still enjoyed the goofiness of Dr. Seuss long after his sister had considered herself grown out of it. Matty’s eyes were drooping less than five minutes in but he held out until Dean was taking him through the Hakken-Kraks howl. Annabeth giggled and told Dean she didn’t need a story tonight, and that’s when he finally decided he couldn’t wait any longer.

“Alright be straight with me… what do you two want?” he asked with a small grin on his face. 

“Charlie told us about this costume party. She’s going to be a Queen, we just wanted to go see her daddy.” 

“Let me see when it is and, if we aren’t too busy, we can go. Give me hugs and get to bed rugrat.” He chuckled at the idea of Charlie in a big ball gown pretending to be queen, but he knew the minute his little girl had turned her bottom lip out and dipped in her brows that he was done for. He counted his blessings and hoped it wasn’t too soon; maybe this good behavior wouldn’t disappear overnight.

 

Since Annabeth hadn’t asked for her own story, it was a little earlier than he’d planned when Dean signed on to Skype. A new friend request popped up and he accepted immediately. He double checked himself before he clicked the message button and said hello. He made sure to ask if Castiel was busy, not wanting to intrude any further into his time. When he answered that he was free, Dean breathed a sigh of relief and clicked the call button.

-Call Connected with Castiel James-

Dean smiled at the camera and pinched himself under the desk to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating; the guy was gorgeous. There was no other way to describe it. His mouth had nearly dropped open in shock when the call connected. The only thing that kept him from flirting with his (hopefully) future employee was the years of restraint he’d been building up. “Hey man, how’s it going?” 

Castiel had an uneasy nervousness building inside him that seemed to rocket out of control when he looked into the candy apple green eyes on the screen. He brushed his hand through his unruly hair and wanted to apologize for his appearance, but what was the point? This man would probably see him at his worst if they had any hopes of having a successful relationship; professional relationship of course. “I am well, Dean. Thank you for asking. I noticed you’re here a little early so I take it putting the kids to bed wasn’t a problem?” 

Dean tried to remember to stay on topic, after all the twins were the only reason he was talking to Cas anyway. He let out a small sigh and grinned. “Yeah, Charlie really wore them out today. She’s been helping me out until I find someone to accept the six month gig.”

“Well that’s why we’re here,” he said with a small smile. It took him a moment to realize that it was the first one he’d given the other man, which probably made an odd impression at best, but it wasn’t really in his nature to be overly cheery. So he continued. “If you don’t mind could you tell me what a typical day for you is like? And the areas in which you think I can help? Then I will do what I can to explain how I could assist you, as well as my own plans and objectives.” 

Dean took a deep breath; at least Cas seemed to know what he was doing, which was a relief because Dean honestly had no idea what to say or do. He was barely handling just sitting there and staring into the freaky, gorgeous eyes magnified by the closeness of his camera.

“Okay sure, I can do that. Lets see … I get up early, around seven but the kids sleep in till right before I leave around nine. I make breakfast for them before I leave because I have to eat something anyway, and then I’m gone so I guess I’d need you to, uh, keep them entertained, just play with them for a little while. My office is only a few minutes away so I almost always come home around twelve. I make lunch for us and try to get in a few minutes of play time before I go back to work. I’m usually home for good around six, sometimes earlier. Charlie sometimes sticks around for a couple minutes to let me get changed and take a quick shower. Then I’ll make dinner. Sometimes I like to let the kids help even though it is almost always easier to just do it myself. Then after dinner we play or watch a movie before they take turns in the bathtub. After that it’s storytime. Matty will pass out quickly and Annabeth stays awake but walks herself to her room and tucks herself in without too much hassle. Then I’ll straighten the house up a little before I go to sleep around midnight.” Dean let out a long breath. He’d spent more time talking in the last five minutes than he had in ages. Of course he was also used to talking to small people with the attention span of a goldfish. He huffed and gave a small sheepish smile to Castiel. 

“Okay and how do you think I can help, or what would you expect of me on a daily basis..” Castiel asked with a concerned look on his face, and Dean didn’t care too much for being on the other side of a microscopic stare.

“Well, I dunno. I just need someone that I can trust to play with them, maybe work with Annabeth on her reading. She’s brilliant, but I just don’t have the time to do anymore with it than I do. I work with her when I can on the weekends but Matty can be a handful himself. Umm other than that, maybe just gimme enough time to shower and change when I get in and I can take over from there.” Dean’s palm kneaded the back of his neck like it was fresh dough but he couldn’t calm the stirring of nerves in his stomach.

“Dean, you do realize I’m a full-time caregiver, correct?” Castiel asked cocking his head to the side with a very confused expression.

“Yeah, I mean I work forty hours a week, Cas... that’s a full time job in itself.” Dean added as he tried to stop the quivering in his knees. He felt that he’d already screwed things up with Castiel and they hadn't been talking for more than fifteen minutes.

“Okay, well I’m going to ask you some questions as we go but I’m going to tell you what I think I can do to help you. However, if you think it sounds intrusive I suggest you let me know now. It’s better we work these things out as early as possible.” He paused and raked a hand through his unruly locks. ‘Do you enjoy cooking?”

“Uh, sometimes. I like making dinner, because it lets me hang out with the kids and I get time to put more effort into the meal. As for breakfast and lunch, it’s usually always something quick and easy, except on weekends.” Dean added as he tugged at his bottom lip with his teeth; his leg shook nervously under the desk. 

“I could prepare the two earlier meals, and sneak in a few educational games along with the things they already enjoy doing while you’re at work. As for the evening I’d be more than willing to spend any and all free time with them before they go to bed, and could easily supervise bathtime. I think you’re current bedtime routine shouldn’t be changed. It sounds more than acceptable and it fosters the familial bond, wouldn’t you agree?” He asked with lifted brows, hoping that Dean wouldn’t feel this too much of an intrusion, but he could tell simply by looking at him that he’d been worn down, despite the smile on his face. 

Dean openly gawked, unsure of what to do with all this new information. He didn’t expect the guy to do all that, but he couldn’t help the sigh of relief that came from simply thinking about how much easier that would make things on him. “Uh yeah, I mean I enjoy story time as much as they do probably, and I don’t know how much longer they’re gonna be okay with Daddy tucking them in .. ya know?” He tried to ease down the smile that came from him thinking about how big they’d already grown. As difficult as it was to handle how fast time was flying, he was grateful for how good hearted the twins were despite their rambunctious nature.

“After they are asleep your time is your own. I would be sure to keep the house organized throughout the day and I can clean up after dinner while you tuck them in. If it’s acceptable to you I’d also like to work out a weekly or bi-weekly field trip to an artistic endeavor of some sort, even if it’s just a community play or a preschool art exhibit. Studies have shown that kids exposed to a variety of cultural mediums early on can transfer into them becoming more open minded adults. These short trips can be taken during the week or if you’d like to accompany them perhaps a weekend would be more agreeable. Other than that I don’t have any written notes; I’d have to interact with the children first to see if there’s any other areas where they would benefit from my assistance.” Castiel’s voice was steady and strong but his hands were rubbing tightly against one another under the lip of the desk and he hoped that his nerves weren’t showing anywhere else.

“Yeah that sounds great, I usually take them to the park a couple times a week and once on the weekend but I never thought about doing anything like that. Although Annabeth just told me that Charlie invited them to a costume party or something so it seems she was trying to broaden their horizons as well.” He leaned back against the soft plush leather and threw his hands over his head as he tried to think of the last time he took either of them to something artistic. He didn’t have long to wonder because Castiel was clearing his throat to get Dean’s attention.

“I suppose it’s getting late but we should speak as often as possible until we are both comfortable with me accepting the contract. I should be available whenever you have the time, Dean. Feel free to just text or call and let me know when to get online if you’d like to continue talking on skype in the future,” he said with a gentle smile.

“Thanks for giving me another chance, man. I really do think this is going to work, but you’re right, it is late and I should let you get some sleep. I will talk to you soon. Goodnight, Cas,” Dean added on before regretfully ending the call; it felt like they’d just gotten started. 

-Your Call Has Ended-


	6. Chapter 6

It had been almost two weeks since the first time Dean had heard that gravelly voice and saw those breathtakingly blue eyes. They’d continued to talk nearly every night. Dean had tried once, on Saturday, but Castiel had broken out into laughter. It didn't take him long to realize that the twins were behind him making faces and holding up rabbit ears. It was how they’d introduced themselves to the man and even Dean had to admit there was probably no better way. 

Dean wouldn't admit it, but their nightly chats were some of his happiest moments lately. He’d done everything he could to ignore the elastic feeling in his gut that seemed to have reached it’s limit and was going to snap back on him any minute. There was something that had reawakened inside him on the very first night, and had progressively gotten worse. Dean had practically been celibate since he’d got back from Afghanistan, choosing to focus solely on his kids. He hadn’t even attempted dating since Lisa died unless it was a passing thought that he dismissed immediately. It usually only happened when he watched Sam and Jess interact, and he quickly scolded himself for even thinking it; it’s not like he had the time or energy that it took to find someone worthwhile anyway.

After they’d talked to Castiel on Skype, Matty and Annabeth couldn’t stop singing the guy’s praises. Dean watched their interactions and would have to admit that while Cas wasn’t the sort of warm and fuzzy type, he’d instantly won their affections without bribery, a feat sometimes Dean himself wasn’t sure he could accomplish. Charlie had let them make quite a few calls since and every time he’d listened to them excitedly chat about some funny or cool thing that happened. Dean still talked to Cas every night, it was more out of genuine curiosity than any kind of interviewing process, which only furthered his suspicion that he’d dug himself in too deep. They’d already agreed that Cas was a perfect fit for the Winchester household and the contract had been completed and sent in.

Castiel was scheduled to arrive in less than an hour and an electric energy was coursing through the house and under Dean’s skin. The twins had been jumping up and down until he’d asked if they wanted to make welcome cards for Cas. Then, after a fair amount of screaming they settled into their chairs at the table and began to work. 

Dean needed something, anything to keep his hands busy. He truly enjoyed cooking; it relaxed him and it was nearly dinner time anyway. He pushed the meat into the corners of the pan and flattened it out in the middle until it was in an even layer. He chopped onions and a few small peppers, then added them to one side before he drizzled a few different sauces over it carefully and put it in the oven. He checked the clock and sadly that had only occupied him for about twenty minutes, so he decided to make something for dessert. 

He mixed together the ingredients and lost himself into the process, the repetitive pour and stir motions briefly lifted the fog of emotions clouding his mind. He was humming “Nothing Else Matters” when the doorbell rang. Annabeth and Matty jumped straight up and ran to the front door. He had to shout in their direction to keep them from just opening it without him. Sure they were expecting Cas, but it could have been anyone and he didn’t want them answering it either way. 

Dean felt his nerves peak as he pulled on the brass knob, his heart racing in his chest. Castiel stood there smiling with his luggage on the ground and his hand outstretched. It must have been some reflex reaction that caused Dean to do the same because he didn’t remember moving his arm or shaking with a firm but friendly grip. Cas’ smile was brighter as Annabeth and Matty forced their way in front of their father and wrapped him in a hug immediately. 

Finally Dean relaxed enough to open the door completely and he grabbed the duffle bag and threw it over his shoulder now that Cas was ambushed by the twins. He stepped inside, glanced over his shoulder and smiled. Never in his life would he have thought a guy packing a kid around would somehow be the most appealing thing ever but his heart raced faster and his face felt flush. He’d have admitted to having a slight infatuation with the guy beforehand but watching Cas hold onto Annabeth tightly and carefully as if she were the most precious thing in the world was enough to break him.

“Okay okay, that’s enough guys. I need to show Castiel to his room first and then you can give him the surprises you made.” He said with a soft, but serious voice. 

“Right, of course.. might I put you down now Miss Annabeth?” he asked politely, and bless him the guy actually waited for her response. Dean had a feeling if she’d have said no Castiel would have carried her around with him endlessly.

Dean smiled as they climbed the stairs and felt a sharp jolt of energy when Castiel’s hand brushed against his. “Get your act together Winchester, this is fucking ridiculous. You’re acting like a teenage girl,” he told himself. He slowed down in front of the guest room upstairs and opened the door.

“I uh, washed all the bedding and stuff, even though no one has stayed in here for awhile. You’ve got your own bathroom in there, and uh… Oh the kids’ rooms are across the hallway and I’m on the other side of that wall, if you need anything. Dinner’s almost done if you’re hungry.” Dean’s hands were shaking so hard he had to put them in his pockets to hide the tremors.

“You have a beautiful home Dean, thank you for giving me this opportunity… the children are even more lovely and vibrant in person. It was a long plane ride, but I’m very excited to be here and also surprisingly curious as to see what Annabeth and Matty have in store for me,” he said with a brighter smile than Dean had ever seen on his face.

“Awesome. I’ll just let you get settled in and we’ll be in the kitchen. Down the stairs and off to the right, just follow the noise.” Dean chuckled as he stepped outside of the now claimed room and took in a deep breath before making his way downstairs. 

He checked the meat and it was sizzling nicely in the oven, the onions clear and the smell was heavenly. Although if he’d have spent much longer ogling Cas, it probably would have burned. He lifted the pan from the oven and drained the grease over a foil covered bowl. He lightly buttered the rolls and placed them flat down on a warm griddle. Just as he was about to put the dessert into the oven he heard a loud yelp behind him. Annabeth had spotted Cas coming down the stairs and her excitement could no longer be contained. 

“Well something smells delicious.” Castiel said as he stepped into the kitchen, which caused Dean to swallow hard and turn his face to hide the slight blush creeping up on it.

“SLIDERS!!” Matty said in a deep, and quite frankly disturbing voice.

“They’re like lil tiny hamburgers Cas!” Annabeth added on thankfully using her natural tone.

“Well that makes sense, because hamburgers are my favorite.” he replied.

Annabeth dived on her drawing as soon as he got close enough to see it, she giggled and asked him nicely to give her one more second. So he backed away and Matty rushed over holding his out proudly, Dean could see it was still unfinished but of the two his sister was the perfectionist. Castiel praised the color choices and even navigated the field of “I have no idea what this is” like a true professional. 

A couple minutes later Annabeth stood up and cleared her throat, Castiel’s attention fell on her immediately and she smiled holding her card behind her back. “Close your eyes please.” 

Castiel obliged and she stuffed the construction paper in his hand, Dean was moving the food on to the table giving him perfect access to watch as it happened. Matty rolled his eyes at his sister for being so dramatic and hopped into the chair beside his father. Castiel smiled when Annabeth told him he could look, and his eyes went wide when he took in whatever she’d drawn. Dean had expected as much, she was as skilled with a pencil or crayons as he’d been at twice her age. 

For instance, Matty drew stick figures and usually made circles for the head, stomach, hands and feet. However, his twin had never drawn a stick figure, Dean wasn’t sure she knew how. He complimented her all the time but eventually curiosity had gotten the better of him. So he asked her why she drew two lines for each leg instead of one like her brother and she’d just said that when she looked at her legs she saw a line on each side, so she made two of them like it was the most simple thing ever and her father was just clueless. 

Castiel praised Annabeth just as he’d done for her brother, and it sent a calming wave of happiness through Dean’s body. He cleared his throat and proceeded to gesture at the food. Just as he was about to take his first bite the oven timer went off so he stood up and grabbed the mit from the counter and pulled the pan out. He was walking toward the counter when he heard a debauched moan that nearly made him drop their dessert. The kids went on completely uninterrupted but Castiel turned to him with a slight pink tinge to his cheeks.

“I’m sorry, that was probably the best bite of cheeseburger that I’ve ever had and I’ve done quite a bit of research,” he offered with a bright smile.

“Uh...thanks.” Dean quickly realized he still hadn’t put the scalding hot pan down when it began to burn his hand through the plush cotton. He sat it down on the counter and turned the oven off before taking his place back at the table. 

They ate and the kids chatted endlessly about all the things they wanted to show Cas. They made a list all the people he should meet, and the one he shouldn’t which only contained Old Mrs. Jenkins. Dean didn’t even know the kids had a problem with her as well until they’d spoken up and said she gave them mean looks all the time. 

“Daddy I think I left my jacket in the garage, could you help me find it please?” Annabeth asked, nodding toward the door and opening her eyes wide. If she was going for subtle it worked about as well as an oak in a rose garden. 

He walked with her and she smiled brightly holding her hands behind her back innocently fluttering her lashes up at him, he knew something was coming. 

“You made cookie pizza. Can me and you decorate it for Cas?” she whispered, even though the door was thick enough to block any sound that might have traveled in.

Dean couldn’t help the wide smile that pushed against his cheeks, he’d let them decorate Sammy’s birthday cake and Annabeth had absolutely loved it. Matty just liked making a mess and eating the frosting, but he wouldn’t exclude his son either way. He crossed his arms and put a stern look on his face. “I suppose I could let you do that, but you’d have to be really good and still go to bed on time. AND the three of us can work on it together.” 

She nodded and turned around and made her way back to the kitchen. “I must have left it in my room, I’m so silly.”

Dean was a little worried about how easily “pretending/lying” came to her. She hadn’t used it for anything other than small secrets or surprises, but he figured he should keep an eye on it either way. 

 

“Cas you’re prolly a little stiff after that long flight, you might wanna take a shower and get settled in or something, don’t you?” Dean added a small wink, and hoped he didn’t make Castiel feel uncomfortable for a variety of reasons.

“Yes of course, I should take a twenty minute shower…” he paused waiting for the signal from Dean which was weird as hell because they’d only known one another a few weeks but he’d picked up on the subtleties. 

Dean gently shook his head no, meaning that wouldn’t be enough time. Castiel then smiled and continued. “and I must put my things away which will probably take another twenty.. “ 

Dean smiled and nodded affirmatively as Cas went on to suggest maybe they could play a game or watch a tv show together when he was finished. He excused himself politely which Dean found adorable, and as he watched the gorgeous man walk away, he had to bite his lip to keep from groaning at how nicely his jeans hugged his ass. 

They worked quickly, if by they, you meant Dean, to prepare their frosting colors. Annabeth chose green because she said it was Castiel’s favorite color. How she’d figured that out he didn’t know but nonetheless she wanted to make it green with blue and white letters. Once the frostings were mixed up he put them into makeshift piping bags which were really just ziplock bags with the tips cut off. Annabeth had covered nearly half the treat neatly and Matty had made three large circles of green plopped down on it and then proceeded to lick his fingers clean. Dean made him wash his hands before he could pick his piping bag back up and by the time he’d gotten back to his seat his sister had neatly placed small dollops of frosting over and around his blobs in an attempt to “fix” it. 

“Daaaaad she messed with my side!” Matty groaned.

“I was just trying to make it look pretty like my side, Matty. Don't you want it to be pretty for Cas?” Annabeth whispered.

“Fine,” he huffed. “Dad can I have this frosting?” he asked with his green bag plucked back in his hand. 

“If you eat all that you won’t get any of the cookie Matty.” Dean advised knowing his son would take the frosting anyway.

“S’okay I like this better anyways.” He smiled as he squeezed a large drop of it in his mouth.

Annabeth’s face was smug, grateful she’d convinced her brother to give up. . It wasn’t as if Matty hadn’t done worse to her recently. Dean considered it payback and since no one was really upset, he let it go. She finished it just how she wanted before they set it on the table. 

They waited about five minutes, the kids swung their legs back and forth impatiently and Dean checked his watch. It should only be another five before Cas would be back down. As a distraction, he made them help him clean up the frosting smeared counter and their own hands and faces. Soon enough they were done and they heard the loud footsteps coming down the stairs. As soon as Castiel stepped into the room, the kids shouted surprise at him and pointed to the large cookie. 

“Thank you, so much. I really do feel welcome.” He managed to get out underneath the kids’ crushing hugs. Dean thought for a second he’d seen a wet streak down the gorgeous face but it was probably just the lighting.


	7. Chapter 7

After Matty fell asleep and Annabeth kissed him goodnight, Dean hurried back downstairs hoping to quickly finish the cleaning. When he stepped into the kitchen his heart sped up, Castiel was standing over the sink and he pulled his arms up slowly examining the rolling pin he’d been washing. As far as Dean was concerned it might as well have been softcore porn. In his mind it was in slow motion as the soap dripped down Castiel’s toned forearms. He squeezed the small sponge in his hand as his long nimble fingers wrapped around the thick wooden cylinder.

Dean bit down hard on his lip as to remember that this was inappropriate. Cas wasn’t there to be gawked at. He was going to take care of Matty and Annabeth and Dean had to put them first. He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked away for a minute, long enough to think up some fairly disturbing images to calm himself down. Finally, when he felt more comfortable, he turned around and cleared his throat.

“Cas, you didn’t have to do that. I mean you probably don’t even start till tomorrow or whatever,” he said shyly, keeping his distance. 

“I don’t mind, certainly not after such a delicious meal,” he said with a soft smile. 

“Well uh.. thanks I guess.” Dean didn’t know what to do, he could certainly leave and let Cas be alone, but he didn’t want to, which was probably all the more reason to go. Just as he was about to turn away he heard the deep resonating voice.

“Dean, can I ask you a question?” Castiel asked. After rinsing the last dish in the sink and drying his hands off on a dish towel beside him, he turned around to face Dean fully. 

“Yeah, sure man.“

“Does Annabeth enjoy drawing? She seems to have incredible talent for a child her age and I’d like to foster that if it’s something she would like,” he prodded politely. 

Dean didn’t really know, she’d never shown more of an interest in it than anything else but she was pretty talented at most things she attempted. “Honestly Cas, you’d have to ask her but I’d certainly be up for whatever she wants. Though I gotta say that girl is the same way with about almost everything she does. If I’d had the time to spend with her she’d probably have been reading her own bedtime stories by now.. I just.. “

“I understand you have responsibilities Dean, and you should as well. Reading is important, education and creativity are important, but none of that is superior to having a nice home. None if it is more important than not having to worry about being taken care of or feeling loved, and from what little I’ve witnessed, neither of your children are lacking in the things that really matter. Besides, that’s what I’m here for, to help any way I can,” he said moving closer. Dean felt the air shift around him and he tried not to let the oxygen get sucked out of his lungs, as seemed to happen every time Cas was close by.

“Uh.. thanks man.. that actually means a lot to me,” he replied, turning and stepping away, just a enough to regain his composure, or at least attempt to.

“I myself, am not an artist, or trained in any field other than childcare but I think I could find someone locally that could help teach her these things. That is if both of you approve of course. I would hate to see those gifts be wasted.”

“Yeah, Cas, that would be awesome. I’m sure she’ll love it too.” Dean’s smile widened, proud that her brilliance and natural gifts were being recognized by someone else as well.

“And I’ll find something that interests Matty as well, although I will admit I’m surprised he seems content to be outdone by his sister.” Castiel’s face pushed up into a fond smile that made Dean’s heart skip a whole bunch of beats and he felt his knees weaken just a little. He did his damndest not to fall and instead, took a seat at the table and invited Cas to join him.

‘I took tomorrow off work so it gives us a solid three days to show you around, hammer out a schedule, and to sort out the details of the day to day. I should also give you a heads up that my brother and his fiance will be over in a few weeks. I’ve bought you some time but they wanna do their own “interviews” so to speak but you’ve got nothing to worry about. I’m sure Charlie will show up too and she already adores you. Besides. I’ve made my stance pretty firm on the topic, the kids respect you and listen to you which is difficult in it’s own right. They already can’t shut up about how awesome they think you are, and that was before you were even here in person. Just think of it as a belated Welcome Wagon, plus there’s gonna be some actual burgers instead of the miniatures.”

“I look forward to meeting the rest of your family…” He trailed off, Dean could sense the hesitancy like a thick cloud looming over them both. Castiel inched closer to him, still in his seat but his body moving forward like the slow pull of a far away magnet.

“I didn’t want to ask until we were face to face, and if you want to tell me it’s none of my business, I’ll respect your wishes but might I ask what happened to their mother?” Dean saw a childlike innocence displayed on his face at the question and was comforted after a hundred times over of people asking with pitiful expressions. 

“Uh, Car crash. Drunk driver skidded out of control and the next thing I know she’s gone and I’m a full-time single father of twins. Lisa and I weren’t .. we weren’t married or together even it was more of a fling that turned into friendship. I was overseas in Afghanistan for the first couple years and I missed a lot, but when I got back to the states she and I worked things out. I got to see the kids when I wanted, but still did my own thing. It was nice. I don’t resent the fact that they’re solely my responsibility now but I would give anything for them not to have gone through that. I’d give anything for them not have to grow up without a mother. I don’t normally talk about it because the kids still become somewhat inconsolable over the whole thing even though they’re so young and it’s been a year since Lisa passed. It’s just..uh easier to not talk about it.” Dean’s hands fidgeted under the table as he tried to still his bouncing leg. He hoped that answer would be enough to satisfy the general curiousity.

“Thank you for sharing that with me, it could not have been easy. I can’t imagine how difficult this has to have been for you all but I do promise to do the best I can to make things just a little less complicated. I should probably get some rest as I imagine the children will be up early, excited over the new change. “ Castiel offered a small smile before padding out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

 

The moment Castiel stepped inside the Winchester home he’d felt relief seep into his very core. There were some people who could put on a truly amazing show about how much they cared for their children, and he’d never wanted to believe that Dean was one of those people. So when he saw the splashes of color and life, the large pictures placed randomly along the walls and tabletops, and the toys filtering slightly into the edges of the main rooms a new feeling he couldn’t quite identify rose in his chest and made his heart beat a little faster.

The children were just as delightful as they’d been on camera but there was something so unrealistic about it once Annabeth was in his arms clinging around him as if he weren’t some crazy stranger she’d just met. He could see so much trust and love in their eyes, both of the twins were so open and giving, it wasn’t a hard conclusion to make that they’d learned and inherited at least some of these traits from their father. The man himself just as warm and inviting as the home he’d made for them, it was almost too much for Castiel to take in.

The card that Matthew had given him was special in it’s own right, the picture looking a bit obscure because he was in fact just a four year old but it held just as much significance in his heart as the more discernable picture made by his sister. Castiel tried his very best not to react differently to Annabeth’s simply because he didn’t think it fair to praise one child more than the other and certainly not so soon. He would find out what they were both passionate about before focusing too much on one talent. 

Dinner was delicious, and he found himself smiling more than he had in a long time as the kids chatted about all the things they were excited to do and show him, and all the people they wanted him to meet. The emotions were incredibly overwhelming as he’d not physically known them more than a little over an hour and they were so giving and loving and accepting already. Most children he’d ever met were either skeptical and shy or most commonly, terrified of him 

He’d never really understood other people his age, not even as a child. And things certainly hadn’t become magically more simple as an adult, if anything, it was even worse. But somehow he knew when Dean sent him that small wink that he was supposed to pretend he had other things to do, and that it wasn’t a harsh ejection from their family meal but some sort of secret. It was almost as if something inside his head had finally clicked and he spoke Dean just like any of the other seven languages in which he’d become fluent. 

Castiel followed the directions. He certainly felt the need to take a shower anyway as his muscles were tired and tense from the trip. During his flight he’d been pressed uncomfortably up against the window by someone who was obviously taking up more space than their seat offered. He stepped under the warm spray and massaged the the tight skin on his back easing some of the ache between his shoulderblades as the water pounded against him. 

He opened the small bottle of shampoo that was already placed inside the small hanging basket, and squeezed a dollop onto his palm. When he started rubbing it into his hair, the scent of Dean filled his nostrils. It seemed the shampoo left for him was the same fragrance he’d gotten hints of when they’d stood closest to one another at the door. It held soft tones of campfire and an earthy scent he couldn’t put his finger on. The assault on his senses made it difficult to suppress the desires rising up and the thoughts creeping into his mind. 

Dean was by far one of the most attractive men Castiel had ever laid eyes on, he’d known that since the very first Skype chat. However seeing him in person was undeniably more difficult. He quickly disrupted his thought pattern to keep his body in check. The rush of blood flowing the wrong direction really painted the picture of his attraction for his new employer. This was not good, the last thing he expected was to have this kind of distraction. He was so close to having exactly what he needed to continue on and be successful in his field. Getting caught up on a man who was probably straight and uninterested, was not part of his five year plan. He finished washing himself and hurried out of the shower. He stepped onto the plush bathroom mat and wiped the towel over his arms and shoulders. The water dripped down his taut abdomen and leaked into the fine contours of his hipbones. He finished drying himself off and quickly stepped into the bedroom to check the time. He hadn’t even put his things away but it had already been almost the full forty minutes they’d allotted for him to pass.

He loudly stomped his way down the stairs, and hoped he’d given them enough notice to his presence, a small smile lit his face before he even entered the doorway. When he saw the decorated cookie his vision became a little blurry as he felt the tears welling up in the corner of his eyes. He’d only been there a day and already these two children had made him feel more like family than his own parents ever had. He choked down the cries and hugged each of them tightly before joining them in eating the tasty dessert.

He found a calming sensation in cleaning up, the dish water was warm against his skin and the repetitive motions made it easier for him to clear his mind. When Dean came back into the kitchen he could tell that there was an uneasiness about his posture, like he was unsure of what he should do or where he should be. But Castiel was genuinely curious about what happened to the twin’s mother and Annabeth’s unique talent for drawing at such a young age. 

As Dean explained what happened to Lisa, the curiosity inside him died quickly. Had he known that it would be such an emotional thing for the children, he wouldn’t have brought it up. Like an idiot he’d assumed that perhaps they just weren’t together and she’d only visit from time to time or something like his own stepmother. Unfortunately there was now a deep sadness in the gorgeous green eyes that he would have given anything not to have caused. Castiel said goodnight to Dean and retreated to his room doing everything he could to convince himself that the slight ache in his heart wasn’t caused by the growing distance between them.

 

Castiel spent the next day with them exploring the city. They went to all the familiar places that the twins liked. They showed him the best park, toy store, and ice cream shop to visit. He also suggested new shops, museums, and exhibits that their father said he’d never noticed. Annabeth and Matthew enjoyed themselves and he thinks if pushed, Dean would even have to admit that he’d had a good time as well. Castiel had been feeling a small electric buzzing under his skin whenever Dean would smile or laugh. It was more than a little distracting but he’d managed to keep it under control.

They ate dinner at a restaurant that night and Matthew had fallen asleep before they could even get back into the house. Dean carried him in over his shoulder and Annabeth curled tightly around Castiel’s torso, her arms circling his neck. He laid her down on the soft pink blanket of her bed and proceeded to untie her shoes and rifle through her dresser for pajamas. Normally he would have just let her be, but the dress she’d chosen had a large metal buckle on it and he was afraid she’d hurt herself by sleeping on it. He pulled out a pink and white night gown, and after he carefully removed her dress, he slipped it over her head. She helped him by raising her arms but she was only partially awake, so he tucked her under the covers as she leaned up and kissed him goodnight. For a moment he tried to tell himself it was habit, that she’d thought he was her father. He couldn’t believe it would be any other way so soon. He’d almost convinced himself until he heard the soft whisper of “Goodnight Cas.” 

Castiel stepped out of Annabeth’s room just as Dean emerged from Matthew’s running into one another and nearly falling from the hard smack to the side. He stepped back and apologized as he rubbed his sweaty palms nervously against the rough denim of his jeans. Once the initial contact had been broken Dean pushed forward and Castiel followed behind him.

“I uh.. I mean I know you’re finished for the day but I’m gonna watch a movie and drink a beer or two if you wanna join me.” Dean rubbed his hand against his neck and Cas could almost swear he saw a red tinge to the freckled cheeks. It was probably just the light reflecting off of something he told himself. 

“I’d love to, thank you.”

It was awkward at first. He sat down on one side of the large couch and Dean took a seat at the other end. It was as far away as he could possibly be, which Castiel both cherished and despised at the same time. Soon enough they’d fallen into the storyline of the movie and Castiel found himself asking questions. Dean, unable to believe he’d never seen the film before, chatted quietly and endlessly. It was breathtakingly beautiful to watch the man be so passionate about something. He’d only caught one glimpse previously when he witnessed the small glint as Dean discussed his beloved Impala. 

They gradually moved closer because the distance made it more difficult to communicate with one another, he told himself. Castiel found himself somewhat involved with the characters just as he would have been with a good book and was a little excited when Dean whispered that there were even more movies based on the same concept. About halfway through Dean stood up and walked quietly around the edge of the couch. 

“You wanna refill? I’m gonna make some popcorn too if you want some,” he asked with a small and genuine smile playing against his lips.

“I would love some thank you, but maybe just a bottle of water instead?” he asked politely and Dean nodded affirmatively.

He wasn’t used to alcohol, he wasn’t what someone would call a light-weight but he didn’t like the idea that his reflexes and perceptions could change at will. The last thing he needed was to have his inhibitions lowered around Dean. As much as Castiel liked to believe they were friends, he wasn’t about to take advantage of that or forget that he was in fact employed by the man. He tried really hard not to think about the loss of warmth and excitement when the gorgeous man had stood up. He further ignored the fact that despite the enrapturing story playing out on the screen his eyes had willingly scraped over the perfect backside of his boss as he walked away.

Dean came back a few minutes later and sat a cold bottle of water down where Castiel’s beer had once been. Castiel’s pulse quickened as Dean stepped around the couch and moved in even closer than he’d been before. Cas watched as he tucked a large bowl of warm buttered popcorn on his lap and smiled brightly at the screen. It was fairly dark, only one dim light from the kitchen splayed the corner of the room. Castiel swallowed hard as he felt the nervous flutter rising up in his chest.

He bit his lip to hold back the curse as the credits scrolled up the screen after the second film. He knew it was stupid and probably somewhat psychotic but he didn’t want their closeness to end. Their bodies had been pushed together so tightly Dean’s thigh was practically plastered against his own which forced him to fight an erection constantly. He certainly should have stopped after the first movie, but his body and mind had an argument and they’d both lost. 

“Guess we should probably get some sleep, maybe we can marathon the other two tomorrow,” Dean said, his arms stretching up high over his head as he moved forward to stand. Just as a flash of white blew up on the screen, he watched the soft grey faded tee climb it’s way up. He swallowed hard as he caught a glimpse of the sliver of skin right above his jeans.

Castiel cleared his throat roughly, thankful the lights were dimmed as to not give away his very excited notions about the two inches of deliciously tanned and muscular torso he just witnessed.

“Yes it is very late, but I’d love to watch the rest whenever you have time,” he smiled a very small smile and quickly made his way up the stairs. 

It was borderline rude how he’d left but the credits had stopped and the screen went white, so he felt a quick exit was the only strategy if he planned to keep his stubborn arousal a secret. He didn’t need to make things any more awkward. He was scheduled to meet Dean’s family and friends soon and he was determined to make a good impression. Humping his leg like a disobedient dog was probably not the smartest course of action even if it was all he wanted to do at the moment. 

Once inside the privacy of his own room he leaned his head back against the door in frustration. He slipped into the bathroom and roughly jerked against the fabric that covered him and stepped into the shower. He quickly got to work not even trying to pretend he was in there to actually wash himself. He slid his fist over the full tip of his cock and began quick and steady strokes. Barely more than twenty four hours had passed since he’d explicitly forbade himself from doing this but it felt amazing. The small bit of skin he’d seen, the deep, throated whispers he’d made against Castiel’s ear, everything about the man was frustratingly arousing. He jerked faster until the release he’d been seeking ripped through him with an electric passion.

He cleaned himself up and sighed somewhat disappointed in himself for letting it get that far but anyone in his position would probably be thinking the same thing. Dean was by far the most attractive person he’d ever met. It was a refreshing change that he happened to be so very inviting as well. It was impossible not to think about what it would be like to be even closer to him, afterall, Castiel was only human.


	8. Chapter 8

A few weeks passed and they'd found a relatively normal routine; small aspects changed from time to time, but overall it worked pretty well so they kept it. The day of the cookout and Castiel woke up much later than he’d planned but the mattress in his room was far more comfortable than the one at his old apartment and he’d slept fabulously. He checked the clock and luckily it was still early enough that he didn’t think the children would be awake yet. He slipped on a constricting pair of boxer briefs under a pair of baggy pajama pants before he pulled a plain white tee over his arms. He hoped it would provide enough cover until he’d gotten a cup of coffee to wipe away the remaining sleepiness. 

He padded down the stairs as quietly as he could and when he stepped into the kitchen he nearly choked. Dean was standing barechested in front of the counter with a heavenly aroma emanating from the oven. If he wasn’t absolutely certain, Castiel would think he was still asleep and dreaming. To have the privilege of looking into those emerald green eyes every day was a blessing in itself. He was certain that this luxury, the ability to see so much of the gorgeous tanned flesh was just some kind of twisted lottery that’s sole purpose was to torture him. He wanted to run back upstairs, if nothing else just to add a more fabric between Dean’s eyes and the speeding arousal filling his cock. It was too late though, he’d already been spotted and the smile playing on those soft pink lips only furthered his discomfort.

“Good Mornin’ Cas,” Dean said as he quickly filled the mug in his hand. Dean sat the steaming coffee down in front of him after he’d taken a seat at the island next to where Dean was standing. Sometimes Castiel thought he was slightly masochistic, like these times, when he chose to be closer than necessary to the half naked Greek God. 

“Good Morning Dean,” he replied taking in the familiar scent of his steaming cup. As soon as he took a sip, his eyes went wide and a soft moan escaped his lips. It had to be the same kind of beans he used to make his special morning brew, the taste was overwhelmingly recognizable.

“You like it? I found it a couple years ago when my regular coffee place shut down. I tried all the local spots on my work route. I was about to give up until I overheard someone talking about the amazing coffee at this little cart outside the big building next to ours. Once I tried it I just couldn’t get enough and eventually I started just buying the beans directly from the vendor and making it at home when I was able. I ran out a little earlier than I planned while Sam and Jess were staying here. Unfortunately I didn't re-order in time, so I had to switch it out for something else for a bit. I've missed it though, nothin quite like it.” Castiel had noticed that Dean’s eyes lit up a little when he talked about something he was passionate about. Like a good cup of coffee, cooking or baking, and his beloved Impala.

“Yes, it’s delicious.” Castiel added with a small smile. He didn’t mention that he’d tasted this particular brand of heaven before, instead he opted to stay quiet in hopes that Dean would continue talking.

“Today’s the cookout you nervous?” Dean added a teasing smile so that Castiel wasn’t actually intimidated by the events scheduled for the day.

“I’m reasonably anxious I believe, but I am very much looking forward to meeting your friends and family. The way the children speak of them I’m sure I have nothing to be genuinely concerned about.” He smiled taking another sip from the warm mug in his hand.

“Yeah they’re all pretty awesome, I don’t know what I’d do without them. I sure as hell wouldn’t have survived the month of waiting for you without Charlie. She was the one most responsible for keeping my sanity in place.” Dean opened the oven door and instantly the delicious smell from earlier was even more overwhelming. Castiel watched as Dean pulled out a tray of cinnamon rolls and his stomach groaned with want, which made the gorgeous man chuckle as he sat them down on the counter to cool.

“Looks like it’s time to get the munchkins up. These are good cold but they’re better warm,” he added on before slipping out of the room.

Castiel followed him so he could change into something more appropriate than pajamas. He’d had a sufficient amount of time to wake up and thought it best to be dressed somewhat professionally when the children saw him, and maybe even more so with the guests expected. He quickly opened the door to his room and flipped through the closet finding a pair of jeans and a dark grey button down shirt. He pulled the tight denim over his hips and tucked the fabric of both shirts under the waistband before clasping the buttons together. He looked himself over in the mirror and quickly added a black vest and a bright red tie. Much happier with the image now, he slipped his sock clad feet into a pair of Chuck Taylor’s and rushed back down the steps. 

He ran his fingers through his hair half heartedly trying to calm down the constant state of chaos, knowing it would do little to no good. Luckily he made it back to the kitchen just before Dean walked in carrying a mostly asleep Matthew over his shoulder and Annabeth skipping behind him. 

“Wow.”

Castiel smiled assuming that Dean was shocked he could change so much so quickly. With a full course load and a part time job he’d become a master of the high-speed outfit swap. Unsure of what to say he moved forward to the cabinet and pulled out some plates and sat them down beside the warm pan. Dean scooped up a roll for each of the twins and Cas picked the plates up and carried them to the table before he grabbed some forks and poured two small cups of milk. He moved both coffee mugs over as well and was met with his own plate being sat down in front of him. 

“Thank you,” he said with an even bigger smile on his face.

They ate breakfast and Annabeth chatted excitedly about how Charlie said she’d make her a princess dress for the costume party that she’d been waiting for what felt like forever for. Dean smiled and said it was really a cosplaying thing that his spunky redheaded friend had talked him into attending, and he directed a happy grin toward his daughter telling her she’d only have to wait one more week. 

Matthew woke up about halfway through his cinnamon roll and begged for a dog. Dean explained that he just didn’t have time to take care of a pet right now but once they were old enough to care for it themselves, he’d reconsider. Which of course caused his son to become so stubborn, he wouldn’t finish his breakfast. Dean didn’t indulge the behavior, so Castiel distracted Matthew the best he could. He would have pulled his boss aside and offered to help care for the animal but he was only going to be there another five months and whoever replaced him might not be so keen to keep up his bargain.

They played together indoors for a few hours because it was still too chilly to be outside in the morning air. Castiel had never really participated in board games and it wasn’t long before Dean was chiding him teasingly for being a “noob” which from context he’d assumed it meant someone who was recently introduced to something, or perhaps someone who wasn’t very good at the new thing which would have also been applicable. The concepts were easy enough to understand but thirty minutes later he still found himself being beaten by four year old children.

“You’re not “letting” them win are you?” Dean asked curiously as they slipped into the kitchen to grab some juice boxes. 

“No Dean, I assure you that I’m giving it my best efforts, it is unfortunate that my best doesn’t seem to be good enough. I don’t think it would do either of them any favors for me to “let” them win if I could anyway.” Castiel was slightly discouraged but he’d been enjoying himself so he didn’t let it last long. 

“Alright man, Just checkin.” Dean said with a small laugh as he clapped him on the back.

They went back to the games and shortly after Annabeth asked for a swap. Thankfully, he fared much better when they switched from Candy Land to something called Operation. Dean was still better than him but at least he was outwitting the children, so he took that as a win. They kept playing until the sun came out and it was time for Dean to prepare the food for the cookout. 

When they went outside, Annabeth immediately ran to her Garden Tea Party Table that was set up on the edge of the patio. It was a beautiful table that looked like it came straight from the pages of a fairy tale book, with hand crafted wooden stumps that had been shaved off and carved with beautiful designs. Matthew walked toward the small basketball court on the opposite side. Cas watched for a few minutes deciding to stay neutral until one of the twins asked for him, or he felt he could assist in some way. Annabeth animatedly talked to her teddy bear she’d lugged outside with her and poured imaginary tea into small cups. 

Matthew earnestly tried to hit the basket but was over shooting every time. Castiel flirted with the idea of adjusting the pole, but decided learning to do it properly from the beginning would be more beneficial in the long run so he left it. All it took was a few words of encouragement and a quick explanation and the ball was swishing through the net every single throw. Castiel wasn’t much of an athletic type but luckily Anna had played in high school and he’d never missed one of her games. He worked with Matthew briefly on his dribbling and was surprised at the four year old’s adept hand and eye coordination. It wasn’t long before Matthew was sinking shots much further from the net than he ever had before. Dean came out to watch for a little with a proud smile lighting up his face and Annabeth on his lap cheering. 

With everyone being distracted by their outdoor activities the cookout snuck up on them. It wasn’t until the smell of sizzling burgers drifted outside that he checked the clock that he’d realized how much time had passed. He took the kids inside and put a movie on the television for them before sneaking into the bathroom for just a moment to check his appearance in the mirror. It could be worse he told himself as he unsuccessfully brushed a hand through his untamed locks yet again. He gave up quickly and was back into the living room when the doorbell rang. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to answer it, but he knew that Dean was busy cooking in the kitchen so his feet moved on autopilot. He opened the door slowly and was confronted with an extremely tall man with a gorgeous blonde at his side. 

“You must be Sam and Jessica. Hello I’m Castiel,” he said holding a hand out to shake. Sam took it somewhat reluctantly and he wondered why until Jessica tackled him into a hug and said that handshakes were for strangers, which only furthered Castiel’s confusion. Sam laughed and explained that both Dean and the twins had been talking about him for so long it felt like they already knew him, causing him to smile widely as he moved out of the way. 

Almost immediately the twins ran and jumped excitedly into Sam’s hold, each one wrapped one arm around their uncle's neck. They used their free hands to pull Jess into a big group hug. Thankfully Dean stepped in the room and fondly ushered everyone to the kitchen. They’d just settled in, the burgers sizzling against the hot grill when the doorbell rang again. Sam who was closest, having chased the kids into the larger room answered it. 

Not much time had passed before he heard Charlie’s familiar giggle, the gorgeous girl brought an immediate smile to his face. He was almost certain they could be considered friends, or would be soon. He saw the same brightening of the face that he’d found in Anna and it was a new experience for him. He thought briefly that maybe it was only redheads that could tolerate him, and a chuckle slipped through his lips as she came even closer with her arms outstretched. He fell happily into the hug and as she squeezed him a small laugh escaped.

Matthew was eager to show everyone his “awesome skills” which he pronounced with a ‘zee’ should at the end. Dean made sure he ate his lunch first but it was easy to see he was more than happy to give his son that opportunity. They all cleaned their plates and with a full stomach Castiel smiled. It wasn’t hard to be impressed with Dean’s culinary skills, everything had been so delicious. 

If he was going to keep eating like that he knew that he’d have to put a more strenuous workout routine together. Jog a little further every day and perhaps even reinstate his advanced yoga practices that he’d dialed back during his last semester because of the time crunch it put him in. He usually had quite a bit of time to himself after the twins went to bed so it wouldn’t be as difficult now.

Everyone cheered and smiled at Matthew’s athletic enhancements and he couldn’t help the feeling of pride that bubbled in his chest. It became even more overwhelming when he kept repeating Cas helped me with a bright smile on his face. If he’d been a stronger man, the tear that welled up in the corner of his eye would never have traveled down his cheek, but he wasn’t even remotely embarrassed. It was a wonderful day and he chose to celebrate it.


	9. Chapter 9

After breakfast Dean suggested board games and he found it hilariously funny that Cas was so pathetically horrible at them. He honestly thought the guy was trying to suck, but it turned out to be the first time he’d ever played which he found shocking and a little sad if he were honest. But once they moved into the second game he improved a lot, with the lack of shaking he was surprised Cas didn’t think about doing actual surgery.

Once he started cooking, almost everything fell away. He heard Annabeth chattering to herself and the basketball thumping against the ground but everything was muted just a little. His hands moved instinctively to do everything rapidly, each task mastered with precision and skill. He faintly heard the sound of clapping and giggling but he didn’t stop. For the first time since Lisa passed, he honestly felt he could just trust that his kids were well protected without him watching them every second. The security that came with that knowledge was invaluable and he knew the smile that was an almost permanent fixture on his face was from far more than Castiel’s professional skills. He shook his head and refocused his attention as the oven timer went off and the smell of baked mac and cheese floated through the kitchen.

Dean’s heart thudded hard against his chest as he watched Cas interacting with everyone. He wasn’t sure he’d ever smiled so much. He’d even gone as far as to not argue when Castiel offered to help with the cleanup. They moved comfortably around one another in the kitchen after the kids were tucked into bed, despite all the thoughts that had passed through his head when Cas stumbled into the kitchen in his pajamas that morning. 

He’d tried to clear his mind of the positively tantalizing images but they’d only been spurred further once they were replaced. He nearly bit his tongue off to keep from cursing when he saw the way the denim hugged the curve of Castiel’s hips or, how the tight vest exposed the contours of his lithe torso. It was incredibly difficult to stop looking but he’d had to. The twins shouldn’t lose their new friend all because daddy wanted to play grabby hands with him. He was finally pulled out of his headspace when he heard a small drop of a spoon from the table. 

“Sorry, I.. Can I ask you something?” Dean could hear the nerves in his voice and for a split second he panicked. Maybe he wasn’t as subtle with the ogling as he thought. 

“Yeah man, of course.” He gave a hesitant smile and hoped whatever was happening it wouldn’t be bad .

“Have you ever thought of pursuing a career in the culinary world?” Dean watched as Castiel bit his lip and Dean had to hold back a moan that threatened to escape. 

“I mean maybe a long time ago but with stuff like that I think you either have to go to fancy school or you gotta climb the ladder. I can’t provide for two kids on minimum wage Cas, so I guess I’ve kinda put it behind me.” He turned away so the gorgeous blue eyes couldn’t see the distance in his own or the loss of the smile on his face. 

“I think you’d do well Dean, I’ve eaten all over the world and I can tell you that your food is some of the best I’ve ever tasted. It may not be as gourmet but you more than make up for it with bursts of flavors and fresh simple ingredients. I think you should reconsider, and I’d be more than happy to help you find a way to attain a career where you can start with a decent wage without sacrificing your time with the kids.” Dean couldn’t see his face anymore, but he could feel the encouragement flooding the room.

“Thanks Cas, but I dunno. Maybe. We’ll see what we can do. I can’t give up such a good paying job without some sort of security for the kids. But I promise if you can figure out some way for me to do this. I’ll try my damndest to keep an open mind," he replied before turning away and heading down the hall to the bathroom. It might have been rude but he didn't think Cas would be offended and he really needed to get out of the kitchen for a minute.

Dean gripped the counter of the bathroom sink and steadied himself. It had been a long while since he'd let himself think about his own dreams. As far as he was concerned they were dead and buried, but Cas just dug it up like a damn bulldozer. He splashed some cold water against his heated face. The man had just been there under a month and he'd already broken down every wall of defense Dean had. He took just another quick look before heading back to finish the cleanup.

They worked quietly for the next half hour but neither of them felt uncomfortable in the silence. Dean started to say something several times just because he felt it needed to be said but he couldn’t find the right words and there was an ache in his chest that made him think it might just be too soon. It was easier to not to have the “chick-flick moment” so he kept his mouth shut. It would be fine, his whole life changed the moment those blue eyes hit his. It’s better to be cautious he told himself. Just give it some time even if that meant a horrible case of blue balls every damn day well. So be it.

They went to bed not long after that and he tossed and turned most of the night thinking constantly about how there was only a thin wall and a four inch bed frame between his head and Cas’. He could easily walk over to the next room and ask for everything he’d ever dreamed of. Hell if he spoke the request out loud he might not even have to leave his bed but he just couldn’t. 

In Dean Winchester’s life there weren’t such precious things like happily ever afters. It was only work your ass off and take care of your damn family and that’s what he’d been happy to do until this amazing, adorable, stunning Angel walked through his door. It was the first time he’d wanted anything for himself since before he’d joined the military, which was a decision his dad made for him years ago. Sure maybe he signed the papers just to get away from the old bastard, and it worked out pretty well all things considering, but it wasn’t a life he wanted for himself. Eventually his eyes fluttered shut, exhaustion winning over his wild and rampant thoughts, and he drifted off to sleep.

 

Another two months of the perfect, yet excruciating torture of living with the man of his dreams and a firm do not touch policy hanging over his head. Dean was somewhat more exhausted than he'd been originally. He felt the weight of not sleeping night after night on his head, but he’d powered through worse so he got out of bed and slipped into the bathroom. After he took a leak he quickly hopped in the shower, the warm spray easing the tension in his shoulders and head. Luckily it worked, and he felt refreshed when he stepped out. He was so happy he sprang for the bigger water heaters, he loved being able to have the right pressure and not worry about running it cold. 

When Dean made it to the kitchen Castiel was already sitting at the table with a cup of coffee not nearly as awake as he felt at the moment. He couldn’t help the small smile that took his mouth when he watched the poised tendrils of hair flip and flop every time he made the slightest movement. He said good morning and heard a similar phrase muffled against the nest of arms Cas had made for himself on the table. He snickered just a little and started to make breakfast, a smug grin took over his face and his attitude when he realized he had the ingredients for his perfected French Toast. 

About twenty minutes later he had some sausage and bacon fried up and the start of a platter of french toast sticks. Cas had finally managed to hold his head up enough to say actual words which was nice. Pretty soon he’d picked up his mug and moved to the center island. He was so very much closer to Dean that he couldn’t ignore the small space between them. They carried a conversation until the last batch of sticks were taken from the pan and put onto the warming tray. When Castiel led him up the stairs Dean’s brain began repeating the mantra “don’t look at his ass”, to which of course his eyes scraped over it the entire time. He mumbled a curse under his breath before he tried to wake Matty up and hoped neither of them had heard it. 

As they ate breakfast Dean had to keep reminding himself that it was Sunday, this was Cas’ day off. He needed to keep the kids focused on him. They hadn't taken kindly to knowing that for one day a week Cas was unattainable, but he'd explained it the best he could and they'd given up without too much fuss. He wasn’t sure if the guy had plans or anything but he didn’t want to him to feel he was working seven days a week, so he decided that if nothing else and Cas wanted to stay in he’d offer to take the kids out, or maybe have Sam and Jess pick them up..

The question of plans for the day was mute when the phone rang half way through his cleanup and he heard the familiar gruff voice on the other end of the line. 

“Benny, how the hell are you man?” Dean smiled, the morning had warmed early so the kids were playing outside but he had them in sight at all times. 

“Ah you know me, I can’t complain brotha. Just thought I’d see if you had anything going on this afternoon, thought maybe we’d grab a bite and do a little catchin up. I’d love to see how much those rugrats of yours have grown.” Dean could feel the smile radiating through the phone but he wasn’t sure if it was Benny’s or his own. 

“Yeah man of course, ETA?” he asked with a loud sigh of content and happiness.

“Ah I should be in around 1300. You gonna cook for me or we headin’ out? Cause I gotta be honest with you brotha I’d rather have your food than diner grub, and you know how I feel about diner’s Dean.” He huffed out a roar of a laugh, which was understandable, the man was practically a damn bear. 

“Yeah yeah, I dunno we’ll see how the kids are gonna handle it and I’ll let you know when you get here. Don’t get yourself killed on that damn bike you hear me? Last thing I need is to come drag your ass off the asphalt cause you can’t buy a real vehicle,” Dean teased, knowing that Benny would just be thrilled he was concerned. 

“Leave my baby alone I don’t badmouth that Impala collecting dust in your garage.”

“Nah man, not anymore she’s tip top. I’ve made some changes recently and I got more free time to throw at her. Just get here in one piece and I’ll tell you all about it. You stubborn son of a ...GUN, Yeah, son of a gun.” 

He corrected himself just about the time Annabeth came in through the door and screaming “Daddy come look!!”

“Alright man I won’t keep you from those lil darlin’s any longer. See ya in a few hours.” 

“See ya soon Benny,” he answered before ending the call and sitting his phone against the counter. 

He followed his daughter outside where she’d put down an old notebook and was coloring in it. After seeing the picture, he nearly broke. She’d drawn herself and Matty between Dean and Cas, and above the clouds toward the top was a brown haired woman with wings and a big smile on her face. It was clearly Lisa and Dean did everything he could to keep his voice from cracking when he told her just how good it was. Leave it to his four year old daughter to have him on the verge of tears before noon on Sunday. 

He thought for sure that Matty would curl in on himself when he saw it, just as he’d done the last time Lisa was mentioned. Dean was shocked to find instead his son’s beaming smile and an arm wrapped over his sister’s shoulder in a comforting gesture. He took a minute before there was an exclamation of “Mommy looks awesome, like a Angel!”

“You did great kiddo, thanks for showing me your drawing. Do you mind if I hang onto it?” Dean asked tentatively unsure of how close she was to it. 

“Of course! Silly Daddy, I made it for you.” She giggled and prodded him in the side. Her pigtails bounced in the breeze making the purple bows crinkle even further. Dean had figured out a ponytail fairly quickly but the act of making two of them, and having them look even wasn’t something he mastered alone. Thankfully Charlie had been great about that and taught him quite a few different ways he could fix Annabeth’s hair that didn’t make her look like beetlejuice.

“Thanks babygirl, it’s perfect.” He picked her up so he could pull her just a little closer before he let her back down.

“Can I show it to Cas before I give it to you for good?” she asked with her hands clasped behind her back.

“Sure sweetie, just make sure to be careful with it okay?” Normally he would have asked her to wait until the next day, but he was pretty sure Castiel would want to see it so he didn’t refuse.

“Ok!” she squealed as she made her way inside the house, her matching purple dress spinning around as the wind followed her.

 

Dean was about to start preparing lunch when Castiel came into the kitchen with a curious expression on his face. He was propped against the large door frame when he finally cleared his throat and began to speak.

“Do you know which taxi company is closer? I just got off the phone with my sister and coincidentally she’s working over in Palo Alto and I thought maybe I’d take in a movie or something and then have dinner with her.” Dean could see the unease in his body language but he wasn’t sure where it was stemmed from, if it was just the nerves of leaving or maybe something to do with his sister. God knows not everyone’s life was butterflies and rainbows, he knew that first hand. 

“Yeah sure, I can give you the number but you can take the Durango if you can drive and know where you’re going.” He gave a small chuckle.

“Are you sure? You won’t need it for anything?”

“Nah man, my friend Benny’s coming over so we'll prolly just sit around and hang out for a bit. We’ll be right here all day so you’re free to take it if you want. I might even let Sam pick the kids up for a little while.”

“Thank you Dean, that’s more than generous. I’ll text you before I leave so you know when to expect me,” he replied before backing out of the kitchen and heading toward the garage.

Dean smiled and returned to slicing the juicy tomato on the cutting board. Focusing himself back onto making lunch and Benny’s pending arrival. The last thing he needed was the distraction of the gorgeous image of Castiel’s ass on repeat in his mind, and any thought of Cas led to a delicious and tortuous wheel of imagery. 

Pretty soon Benny was knocking on the door and a smile spread wide across Dean’s face. He jogged through the living room and swung the door open. He was immediately pulled into a crushing hug by the beast of a man standing in his entryway. Dean felt the muscles ripple through Benny’s overly tight tee shirt and he laughed hard.

“Pretty soon, Imma see you struttin’ around in skinny jeans and one of those fishnet see-through things from the 80’s,” Dean laughed

“Keep talking, not my fault you’re losing that six pack you built up in the core.” He teased back and Dean couldn’t even let himself feel upset about it for a moment because his best friend was there and everything was gonna be awesome.


	10. Chapter 10

Castiel met Anna at the restaurant and was greeted by a warm hug and a lipsticked kiss to his cheek, which he wiped at immediately. He listened as she talked animatedly about her job, and the friends she’d made in the neighborhood. Mostly uninterested, he stared at some of the smaller brochures dipped into the napkin holder. One was for a Top Chef like tournament and he pocketed it for Dean. He loved his sister, really he did, but she was able to talk endlessly about things. Eventually she started asking about his new job and his new boss. Soon enough she’d pegged him as smitten and he couldn’t deny it. Anna had always had the ability to read him like no one else, but then of course she was the only one who tried.

He enjoyed his time with his sister but if he were pressed he’d definitely say that he was anxious to get back home. He’d hold off on scolding himself for referring to Dean’s house as ‘home’ once he was safely back inside it. After he sent a quick text to Dean, he left the restaurant with the home reference still in the forefront of his mind. He pulled into the garage and finally cut himself a break, ultimately he was living there and it was perfectly acceptable for him to consider it a temporary home. He just needed to make sure he kept the temporary in his mind constantly. It already hurt but he did need to remind himself that it wasn’t a permanent arrangement and eventually he’d have to leave the children and Dean behind.

There was a motorcycle pulled off to the side of the driveway that he hadn’t noticed at first, then he remembered Dean said something about having company. He knew nothing about this person and he really hoped things wouldn’t be awkward. He disliked meeting new people mostly because he didn’t understand them, and usually the confusion was mutual. However he’d spent quite a bit of time with Dean’s friends and family lately and it hadn’t been so bad, which left him optimistic. 

Castiel shut off the engine and stepped hesitantly toward the door, before just deciding to enter the way he’d left. He would have knocked on the garage door, but the sound was usually muffled at best and it was almost always unlocked. He stepped inside and was instantly caught by surprise to hear Dean’s hefty laugh along with another unfamiliar one echoing through the house. It was a nice sound, not that Dean didn’t laugh pretty regularly, of course he did. However there was a tight curl in his stomach that felt like disappointment.

He hooked his head around the kitchen corner and saw a big burly man sitting pretty close to Dean on the couch gesturing wildly with his hands, and Dean’s palm slapping playfully on the bulging bicep. The image that made in his mind caused his heart to drop and the air to get harder to inhale. His heart began thumping wildly in his eardrums and everything felt wrong. There was clearly a connection between them and it didn’t seem familial, despite the larger man’s use of the creole accent spilling out “brotha” every five words. Okay maybe Castiel was just a little bit jealous and a little more bitter. He forced himself to carry on and slung the keys loudly onto the hook and made quite a bit of noise coming through the kitchen. 

“Hey Cas, did you have fun?” Dean asked with a brighter smile when he walked into the room, which was somewhat comforting but the ache inside him was still there. 

“Yes. It was a lovely dinner. Thank you for asking Dean.” he said fondly trying very hard not to look at the man pressed into Dean’s personal space.

“Awesome!” he replied with a wide grin reaching all the way to his eyes.

They stared in silence both getting completely wrapped up in the color of the other’s eyes to the point that they didn’t know they were even doing it. Dean’s emerald irises began to cause his head to spin just a tad and he began to smile a little on his own. The man next to him cleared his throat and pulled them out of the somewhat trance they’d gotten lost in.

“Oh God I’m sorry. Cas this is Benny Lafayette he’s a friend of mine from the core. Hell, at this point he’s practically a brother. Benny this is Castiel James,” Dean said using an affectionate tone laced with his normal gruff voice.

Castiel couldn’t help feel the disappointment that Dean didn’t introduce him as a friend, or even say he was the children’s care-giver. It was just a bit awkward for him to watch, his eyes drawn to the fact that their thighs were touching. Not wanting to intrude, or be forced to see anything further, he excused himself to his room and Dean let him go without argument. 

It had already been late when he came back. It would be reasonable that he felt tired and he probably would have if it weren’t for his mind replaying the moment Dean shared with that..that bear. As selfishly childish and petulant as it was, Castiel hoped the man would be gone in the morning. He tossed and turned, more than a little uncomfortable, for hours, faintly hearing the ticking clock by his bed. 

He heard the loud click of Dean’s door, and some small movements on the other side of the wall before the crushing squeak that came from slipping into bed. It was louder than normal and instantly his brain offered an image of him lying in bed and listening to the man of his dreams entertain someone else. His head became foggy and everything slowed. He began pleading in his mind, offering anything to not have to hear it. He made out two voices on the other side of the wall and that was the moment his gut wrenched and he slipped into the bathroom. His stomach made an executive decision that clearly stated he could not go back in there. 

Thankfully he’d dragged his blanket in with him when he’d left so he curled against the very small but comfortable sofa that Castiel was almost certain Jessica had picked out. Eventually when his mind stopped racing over images of Dean naked, panting breathlessly, and his tightly toned body thrusting against someone else. He smacked his head against the wall lightly hoping to drown out his torturous thoughts. Sometime later when he could no longer tell exactly how much time had passed, he drifted off to sleep.

Castiel woke up with an ache in his back he hadn’t felt since before he’d graduated. He’d spent too many nights sleeping over his notes or textbooks. He pushed himself into a standing position even though every limb felt twice as heavy as it should. He quickly checked the clock to see if he could catch another few minutes of sleep but much to his dismay it was already later than he’d wished to get up. He threw his clothes off and jumped in the shower hoping if nothing else it would ease the twisted muscles of his neck, shoulders, and everywhere else. He didn’t stay long though, hoping to get downstairs and get some coffee on before Dean woke up. 

He threw on actual clothes this time not wanting to be exposed in front of Dean’s bedmate, the word alone made him cringe. He knew it was ridiculous. He didn’t have any amount of control over Dean or his choices but that didn’t release the gnawing feel of rejection that had been bubbling up inside him since the moment he’d seen them together. Things were so much easier when he’d thought that his boss was just the typical hetero guy trying to raise his two kids. Not that it kept him from having very vivid fantasies of himself and Dean in a variety unheterosexual situations and positions. But now that he knew that the man could be attracted to other men there was a thriving pulse inside him that just wanted, needed it to be him.

He timidly stepped out of the bathroom just to ensure that there wasn’t anything he didn’t want to hear on the other side of the wall, and eventually made his way downstairs. Just as he was about to add the water into the coffee maker there was a gruff chuckle behind him. He spun around so fast he nearly spilled it all over the floor. 

The man from last night, because Castiel refused to call him by his name inside his head was standing in the doorway with a bright smile and smug grin. He really wanted to punch him, like, really, really wanted to punch him. Castiel James was not one for violence in any form but for a moment he could actually envision walking over to the big burly man and pushing his fist as hard as he could into the chiseled jaw. But then again he’d never had much he cared enough about to fight for it. Dean and the twins had certainly changed things though and the was left with a twinge of failure in his mind. He should have been more professional, should have kept himself distant from the situation, but it was just too impossible.

“You know I kinda thought he was crazy but turns out he was right.” Came out of his mouth like honey being poured over a biscuit. Castiel could understand the charm sure, but Dean was smarter than to be taken in by some sweet talking cajun. 

“I’m sorry what?” he asked politely, because despite his wishes he knew it wouldn’t gain him any favor to walk over and actually assault the man. He’d just stick to some mild fantasies.

“Dean said you were even more pretty in the mornin and I told him it wasn’t possible,” he said as he pushed further into the room. Castiel began to feel more on edge than he had the entire time and the nerves under his skin began lighting up like tiny firecrackers.

“I don’t think Dean would say that,” he stated indignantly, because if there was one thing he knew about his boss, his friend, about Dean it’s that he would never say that Castiel was pretty. Castiel was relatively sure the word pretty wouldn’t even be in the man’s vocabulary if it wasn’t for Annabeth.

“Okay, easy now. So maybe he didn’t use those exact words, but same thing now ain’t it darlin?” Castiel stood his ground unsure why, but he didn’t like feeling as if he were being backed into a corner. 

“No, it’s really not. For instance, I could say someone was charming and persistent when what I really mean is they’re a shameless flirt who can’t take no for an answer. Surely you can see the difference." Castiel watched the smile on the smug man’s face grow even wider, of course he should have known better. He'd let the man drag him down to a level of immaturity he wasn't comfortable with, and it made his skin crawl.

“I s’pose you could say that, but I know Dean and his intentions toward you are going off like a giant neon bill.” Benny stopped dead in his tracks and Castiel immediately felt the shift in the room. Dean stepped into view and he didn’t look angry but he probably wasn’t happy either. The missing smile alone was enough to put Castiel on edge.

“What was that Benny?” Dean asked as his arms shifted to cross over his chest and his lips moved into a tight line against one another. Apparently Dean didn’t like having a jealous boyfriend or whatever the man was to him. Castiel felt a millisecond of joy at the disapproval Dean was directing at Benny before his guilt over Dean’s unhappiness took over.

Benny raised his palms up as a sign of feigned innocence as if his interactions hadn't been deliberately provocative. Castiel let out a huff of indignant righteousness to showcase his opinion on the matter. “I was just checkin’ him out Dean. It’s nothing you wouldn’t have done for me.”

Dean huffed his posture even more rigid than before. “I don’t remember asking you to do any checking for me.”

“Alright, alright sorry.. geesh .. calm down would you? I’ve seen you look at people trying to kill you with more love in your eyes.” Castiel knew the man was playing up the severity but he wasn’t going to bring anything up, as a matter of fact he’d very much like to get out of the room and avoid it completely. The last thing he wanted to do with his morning was witness some sort of lovers spat.

“Benny, do us both a favor and hit the shower. We’ll talk when you get out.” 

Dean’s posture changed the moment his “friend” left the room and Castiel couldn’t help the nervous tingle he’d felt in his stomach as he contemplated what would come next. Sparks were going off under his skin and he hoped that Dean wasn’t upset with him or his actions but with what had happened in general. He knew that it was the more than he could hope for that the conversation be dropped completely. Surprisingly the feeling of awkwardness ebbed away bit by bit and he was comforted by Dean’s presence. 

Dean rubbed the back of his neck and appeared nervous. If Castiel didn’t know better, he’d think the man was embarrassed; blush colored his cheeks. Not knowing what to say or do he turned and finished making the pot of coffee. He quickly realized he was now as awake as he would have been if someone had doused him in cold water. He was almost afraid to turn around, not sure what would happen but the blasted machine could only hold his attention for a few moments without becoming more than a little suspicious. 

“Look Cas, I’m sorry if .. I didn’t mean for him to make you uncomfortable. You being here has made my life so much easier and the last thing I want is to jeopardize that but I would understand if you were upset. Benny needs to mind his own business and I swear that I didn’t know he’d try anything like that… I just..” Dean stopped long enough to give him an in so Castiel took it. 

“You don’t need to apologize, Dean. Who you invite into your bed is certainly no business of mine.” He couldn’t help the small attitude tacked on and he wouldn’t admit that the ache in his gut was more of jealousy than disapproval. Castiel immediately felt guilty that in the cloudy state of his mind he’d let himself take out his disappointment and sleep deprived frustration on someone who’d always been so kind and caring toward him. 

“He seems very concerned for you. I imagine that’s a quality someone should admire in their… friends,” Castiel quickly offered as a meager apology to his previously sour attitude before Dean even had a chance to speak.

“What? Wait a minute. You do realize that there’s nothing going on between us, right?” Dean clarified with a fairly confused look on his face leaving Castiel baffled. He watched as the wheels seemed to turn inside Dean’s head, until there was a look of mortification on his face. 

“Oh God! No! I mean.. uh.. the couch is really short and uncomfortable for such a big guy… and as much as I love the dude I wasn’t going to give up my memory foam mattress just to be polite. So Benny bunked with me last night but it wasn’t… there wasn’t anything .. you know .. we didn't… it wasn’t like that.” Dean rambled with an anxious smile on his face. 

Castiel wasn’t nearly as relieved as he would have expected, and he instantly cursed himself for missing out on the opportunity to sleep in his own very comfortable bed. It was all he could do to mutter the words “I understand.”

Dean’s head jerked back in a quick motion as if he’d been attacked, which of course led to Castiel squinting as if it would help decode the man’s odd behavior. He’d never had a problem understanding Dean before, as a matter of fact it was quite the opposite until the dynamic shifted around the intrusion that was Benny. “Look Cas, things here are great. I don’t know what I’d do without you now to be honest. But if you’ve got a problem with me being interested in men I don’t think this is going to work.”

“I don’t have any issues with your sexuality Dean. It would be quite taxing and very hypocritical for me to be a homophobe. I apologize if I gave you that impression.” Cas said before he reached into the fruit basket on top of the kitchen island and pulled out an apple. He felt much lighter once Dean confessed that he wasn’t as straight nor as attached as Castiel had once believed.

“Wait so ..if you don’t care then why’d you make that face?” Dean asked.

Castiel tilted his head to the side and scrunched up his eyebrows as he chewed and swallowed his first bite of the sweet fruit. “What face?”

“Nevermind Cas.” He said with a slight shake of his head and pushed further into the kitchen. Dean’s smile lit brighter and the once tense and awkward scene settled into their typically easy and pleasant routine. 

“Oh I meant to tell you, I found a pamphlet at the restaurant last night and I picked it up. It’s a small cooking and baking competition in a couple months, I think you’d do exceptionally well...that is if you would be interested in something like that.” Castiel raised a brow before biting another chunk out of his apple.

Castiel could feel Dean stiffen only slightly before he heard the deep breath released. “Are you sure I’m good enough for something like that?” He asked. Castiel could feel the self doubt rolling off of him, it was so thick it almost choked him.

“Dean I don’t mean to pressure you into anything you don’t want to do but if you consider it I’d personally be willing to wager for your success. I can’t promise you victory but I have faith that you’ll go further than you expect, and I would not be surprised to see you in the metaphorical winner’s circle.” Castiel hated that Dean was so quick to mistrust his own abilities but he knew that false promises of grandeur wouldn’t help in the long run, so he was as honest as he could be on the matter and hoped the talented chef inside Dean would give it a chance.

“Sure, I’ll take a look at it later or something,” Dean mumbled as he poured coffee into each of the two mugs between them.


	11. Chapter 11

Dean enjoyed catching up with Benny but the last thing he wanted was whatever weird shit had gone down in the kitchen earlier. He knew the guy was just looking out for him but Cas wasn’t a threat and the sooner his best friend got that through his thick skull the better. Thankfully, it hadn’t taken long to get things sorted out and as a bonus it answered the nagging question that was constantly making his head spin. Castiel was gay! Dean didn’t skip around like some sort of teenage girl but he had to admit the smile on his face was mostly due to the new knowledge he possessed. If he wasn’t mistaken Cas seemed a little happier after he’d cleared up the case of the fake relationship as well. 

When Cas mentioned the cooking thing, he had to admit part of him was interested. It was just one competition, it’s not like he was going to be a professional chef or anything. It’s not like he could quit his job. Not to start out as some dishwasher or busboy. He’d worked jobs like that before and they didn’t pay enough to raise two kids. Although the moment Castiel said he’d bet on him, Dean knew he’d already made up his mind. 

He moved through the kitchen and made his way back upstairs, hoping he could finish the conversation with Benny before the kids woke up. He’d never been so happy it was a long weekend, because there was no way he would have made it to work on time. He stepped into his bedroom to find his friend lacing up his boots with a half hearted smile on his face. He closed the door behind him and just leaned against it, he honestly didn’t even know where to start.

“What the hell, man? I mean I get you’re lookin out for me but that was just weird. Do you know that he thought we were… well you know .. “ 

“I know what he thought Dean. I could read it all over his cute little face the minute he saw me here last night.” Benny let a small chuckle escape and shook his head as if there was something Dean obviously wasn’t getting.

“What? Well why didn’t you say something?” Dean jerked his head back in disbelief, he really thought he knew Benny better than that.

“Didn’t know for sure if it was me or just gays in general he had a problem with… not till this mornin’ anyway.” Benny laughed even louder and it was really starting to piss Dean off, he didn’t have time for mind games; the kids would be up soon. He was about to shoot his mouth off again when an image of Benny tackling him to the bed flipped into his mind. At the time it was just his dorky friend goofing around. There hadn’t been anything sexual about it but knowing Cas was on the other side of the wall, and what he must have thought when it happened made his skin crawl. 

“You dickbag. You did that on purpose!” he growled, his face on fire with more anger than he’d felt in years.

“Calm down, brotha, we both know you don’t wanna go toe to toe with me despite how pissed you are right now. Cool off and gimme a second to explain.” He paused giving Dean a look that clearly meant he was willing to knock him out if he had to, but he didn’t want things to go that way. 

Dean moved back slightly, his body still on edge and ready to fight. He crossed his arms and offered a very heated glare. He wasn’t stepping away, only trying to take a friend’s advice. Had it been anyone else he would have already swung, despite the fact that he’d had a much longer fuse on his temper since he’d made it out of the core and settled down with the twins.

“Look Brotha, I know you better than most and you know I’ve got your back but I knew right away that you had it bad for this guy. Somebody needs to make sure you ain’t gonna to get hurt doin’ somethin’ crazy like fallin in love with a temporary situation. Sam’s got his heart in the right place, but you’re his big brother and he doesn’t see that you need to be protected, even from your own stupidity. Least I could do for you, man, was make sure the guy wasn’t just screwing with you, or that you weren’t barkin’ up the wrong tree. You want me gone, I’ll go, but I’m not gonna apologize for lookin out for you.”

Dean let out a deep breath, if he were honest he still wanted to punch the asshole in the jaw, but he couldn’t fault the guy for wanting to watch out for him. He’d have probably done the same in his position, but it didn’t erase the guilt churning in his gut. “Fine, just don't do anything like that again without at least givin’ me a heads up. I could have told you that everything’s fine. I know what I’m getting myself into here Benny. I’m not blind. I know it’s probably not gonna end well but if even for a second a guy like him would have anything to do with me I’ll take it.” 

Benny shook his head again, it seemed to be quite a habit he’d gotten himself into lately Dean noticed. “Don’t you see that’s the problem Dean? Man I swear it’s like you’re completely blind in this. I’ve never seen you act so damn foolish before. It’s like you’re runnin straight into the line of fire and I’m trying to keep you from getting your dumb ass blown up but you’re ignoring everything I’m saying. Just, I guess all I’m saying is I think you’re in trouble here. Hate to be cliche but you’re in over your head out there and I wanted to do what I could to make sure someone wasn’t gonna let you drown,” he said before he stepped through the doorway and left Dean speechless behind him.

Dean sat down on his bed barely able to breathe, his hands folded across his face as he thought about all the things his friend had said. He couldn’t deny most of it, he knew that Castiel was new territory for him. He’d never had actual feelings for anyone, outside of the friendship and harmonious minefield he’d navigated with Lisa. If he were honest, he’d have to say he’d never even considered love a possibility for himself. That was before that soft partial smile and those cerulean blue eyes popped up on his screen and into his life. Now he wasn’t so sure anymore. 

Eventually he made his way back downstairs, and much to his dismay the kids had already beaten him to it and Castiel was making breakfast despite them agreeing that Dean would be responsible for morning and evening meals when he wasn't working, which only furthered his sour mood. He didn’t like the idea of not keeping his part of the bargain, Cas had plenty to do without him slacking off to be lectured by Benny. He was just about to take over scrambling the eggs when his phone chirped from the counter where it was charging. 

“Yeah?” he answered.

“Hey man, Jess wants to take the twins to the zoo. I know it’s last minute but I was hoping we could grab them for the day and bring them back sometime early tomorrow? One of her work friends is going and she said she’d feel weird to go without the kids, even though I told her it was perfectly fine for two adults to visit the zoo,” Sam rushed, obviously nervous. Dean had been getting good about letting the twins go with them but it had never been an overnight thing.

“Well yeah she’s right, it would be creepy as he….ck for you guys to go without kids. I, let me check and I’ll get back to you.” Dean let out a small chuckle and hung up.

“Hey Benny, take over this for a minute before you leave okay?” he asked and pointed toward the stove. He pulled Castiel out to the garage and tried not to jump as he felt a small jolt of excitement that raced through him when his hand touched the bare skin of Cas’ forearm. He moved in far enough to allow enough space to close the door completely behind them. It seemed he was always closing doors but he learned the hard way that sound traveled too well without doing it. 

“Hey, that was Sammy. Do you have plans for the kids today?” Dean asked not wanting to spoil anything he’d already worked out.

“I thought with you being off work today you’d want to do something with them so I didn’t make plans.” Castiel answered, his eyes wide and just a little more blue than Dean remembered. Focus Winchester he scolded himself, hoping it wasn’t outwardly visible. 

“Well, I did, but Jess has plans to go with a friend to the zoo and she thinks they will look weird without kids so she was hoping they could take the twins, I figured I'd let them know but I didn’t want to send the kids away if it was gonna make things difficult or uncomfortable for you …” he trailed off. Not wanting to add ‘Being alone with me’. 

“That’s perfectly acceptable Dean, I have no complaints about letting them go to the zoo, or anything else,” he added on with a sincere look that comforted Dean more than he thought possible; at least Cas didn’t mind the situation. He tried to hide the wide smile that spread instantly against his cheeks but it didn’t work even for a moment. 

He picked up his phone and dialed Sammy back, he said it was fine and that Castiel didn’t mind so he didn’t either. When he asked what time they needed to be ready and Sam said they were already on their way he laughed. Thankfully, when he walked back into the kitchen, the twins were already being fed by Benny and Castiel was leaned up against the fridge with a smug grin as the big cajun struggled with juggling multiple items. Dean laughed heartily and moved in to help the poor guy. He made sure they were finished eating before he made the big announcement and sent them to get changed and ready to go.

Benny left before the kids did. He said he had to get an early start in order to make it back before kickoff, but Dean knew it was basically just to leave the two of them alone. The way the guy said it, he was pretty sure Castiel knew it too. He shook his head and pulled his giant best friend in for a crushing hug as he heard one last warning to make sure he knew what the hell he was getting into, which he would quickly be ignored despite his own and Benny’s good instincts. 

Matty and Annabeth were excitedly dancing around the kitchen at the thoughts of staying all night with Uncle Sammy and Aunt Jessie. It warmed Dean’s heart to see them so happy and enthusiastic, it made him reconsider being such a hoarder of their time. Sam and Jess had a fair right to spend time with them and he’d have to learn to let go just a little. 

When it came time for them to leave Jess rushed into the kitchen hoping to put small snacks and lunches together having a near panic attack that she’d forgotten to do so before leaving, but Castiel just smiled, laid a hand on her shoulder, and told her he’d already done it. The look of relief that crossed her face tickled Dean to no end and he found Sammy laughing at the sight as well. 

Before they were ushered through the door Matty wrapped his arms around Dean’s waist and gave a quick hug. “Bye Daddy, Love you.” 

“Love you too munchkin, be good and no pranks on your sister today, capiche?” He smiled and gave a fond tussle to his son’s hair.

“K,” Matty said somewhat a little disappointed as if he’d already had something planned. Dean shook his head and took in just how much the kid had taken after him. Much to both their surprise it seemed, Matty ran over to Cas and wrapped his arms around him as well. 

“Bye Cas, Love you.” Dean swallowed the lump in his throat, okay maybe it would be wise to use some caution here. For the first time since he’d heard the word pregnant, he’d managed to forget that something was about more than just his heart. He could handle himself, but the last thing he’d let happen is for the twins to get caught in the crossfire.

Annabeth followed suit but demanding to be picked up for a kiss on the cheek from both men, before scurrying through the door. Jess stood there with a soft knowing smile and he almost wished she could stay long enough to help him make sense of all this but he knew he had to figure it out on his own. The minute the door closed, he awkwardly stood there unsure of what to do but decidedly not looking at Castiel. He didn’t have to wait long, it seemed Cas needed time to process things as well so he excused himself making sure to let Dean know it wouldn’t be for long.

Nearly an hour later Dean was in the garage taking his confusion and frustration out by soaping up and scrubbing down the Impala. The beautiful machine had always been a source of comfort and happiness in his life and it seemed as if that wasn’t going to change. If the music hadn’t been so loud he would have heard the hesitant click of the kitchen door, and the soft trepidation in the footsteps that came closer. He was bobbing his head and singing along until he spun around planning to grab the water hose but smacked into a hard chiseled chest instead.

“Jesus Cas, give a guy a little warning huh?” he said stammering a little at the closeness of their bodies. Castiel didn’t move back at all so Dean turned and slid his arm in the window to flip the radio off. When he turned back around there was barely enough space between him them to breathe without sucking in the other man’s air. 

He was starting to feel backed into a corner both literally and metaphorically as his brain searched for answers on why shy, timid, innocent Castiel would be acting so boldly. His fight or flight instincts kicked in and he almost made a break for it but he knew that wouldn’t get them anywhere either. So he took a deep breath and moved away just a little, hoping Cas wouldn’t see it as a rejection, he was only trying to grab a little more air so he could think clearly.

“Dean, I think we should talk,” Castiel said nervously biting his lip as Dean had seen him do a thousand times and each and every one sent a pulsing shiver through his body.

“Alright, well talk Cas, I’m listening,” he said, knowing he should have agreed and said something, done something, but he honestly had no idea what to say or do to begin with.

Castiel was nervous. Dean could feel the uneasiness floating in the room and, surprisingly enough, it wasn’t his own. Once he’d backed away just a little his own tension melted away.”I don’t want to go,” he said, his blue eyes locking onto Dean’s and making his heartbeat pound faster.

“I don’t remember asking you to leave,” Dean said with a cocky grin and lift of his brows. 

“Not yet anyway,” he heard Castiel mumble under his breath before letting out a giant sigh. He was building up to something and Dean wasn’t always optimistic for himself, but he couldn’t help the nagging sense that something good was nearby.

“Whatever you wanna say, it would probably just be easier to spit it out. Rip it off like a band-aid, you know?” Dean said, as he tried to encourage Cas without being pushy or demanding. 

“I don’t want to go…. ever. Not now, not when my contract is up, not even when the twins have moved on and started their own lives. I, I know it sounds crazy and I’ve spent the last hour taking tests to make sure I wasn’t actually insane, but for the first time in my life I feel like I have a home and people who care about me. People I care about as well,” he said breathing out a long breath before lifting his head. Dean could have sworn he saw a flash of a lighter shade inside the blue eyes as they looked up into his.

“I don’t know what’s happening here Cas, and if this is confession time I gotta say I’m scared shitless about whatever it is. I’ve never done anything like this, never been worth more than a few crazy one night stands. So I can’t promise you everything is going to be perfect or happy or rainbow fairy tales, but I never planned to let you go,” Dean choked out, absolutely forbidding himself to cry like a damn baby. Even with all the crazy shit he’d done, this was hands down his most vulnerable moment. It took less than a minute to feel relieved in the fact that he trusted Castiel and knew it was gonna be okay.

He didn’t have long to panic because he was pushed hard against the wet metal of the Impala while Castiel’s mouth turned up into a cocky grin. “Well I never wanted a fairy tale, just the princess dress,” he said with a larger smile and a small wink.


	12. Chapter 12

Dean shook his head just a little and let out a laugh before he raised a hand up to brush against Castiel’s cheek. He hesitated for only a moment before bringing their lips together in a soft and gentle kiss. It wasn’t magical in the sense that fireworks were shooting off in the background or a crowd cheering around them. However, the electricity that shot through him was more than the excitement that always came with a new interest, a new person to kiss, there was something more. He smiled against Castiel’s mouth before pulling his lip in to playfully suck on it, rewarded with a deep moan for his efforts which only spurred him further. 

He pressed himself more firmly against Castiel’s body and nipped at the plush pink lip he’d just let go and let out a groan of his own when he felt Cas thrust inward just enough to cause a slight friction against his hardening cock. He felt a slight tremble in Castiel’s body when he slid his hands lower and wrapped his arms around the slender waist. He pulled and forced their bodies to harshly collide and cursed his own movement when he felt the hard outline pressing against him and he bit back a growl. 

“Mmm we .. we gotta move this or, I’m not gonna be held responsible,” he laughed out, backing away from the swollen chapped lips of Cas’ mouth. Dean couldn’t help but feel sorry for it the second he saw the dazed look in the gorgeous blue eyes.

“Yes, I suppose that would be wise,” Castiel trailed off but stood firmly in place. Dean wasn’t sure if he didn’t want to move or just couldn’t. So he chuckled a bit and swept forward, grabbing onto the long nimble fingers as he backed them both away from the Impala and picked up the hose giving it a quick spray off so the soap didn’t hurt the paint. Dean flipped the spigot off and led them both through the kitchen and living room, and up to his bedroom without a word.

Once inside he spun around, and watched as a wide smile grew against Castiel’s cheeks. Dean bit his lip and leaned in, pushing Cas up against the now closed door and framed the perfect hips with his hands. He dipped his head until his lips were mere inches from Cas’ ear and whispered. 

“Are you sure about this? I’ll wait if you ask me to.” He smiled against the pinkened lobe before sucking it into his mouth, it may have been playing dirty but Cas started it so really it was just mouthwatering, delicious, mildly torturous payback.

Castiel growled and moved his knee to rub between Dean’s thighs and started moving higher as he latched onto the side of Dean’s neck, nipping playfully, not hard enough to leave a mark but enough to drive him crazy. Cas kissed and licked and sucked his way down to his shoulder and jerked against the fabric covering it. He used the technique as a means to flip them around and pin Dean. As soon as the cool air of the room smacked against his naked chest, he felt teeth digging into his shoulder this time much harder than before. His head fell back against the door and his throat released a sound that was most definitely not a whimper.

Castiel sucked the bruise he’d left on the tip of Dean’s shoulder and rubbed their denim clad cocks together in a long luxurious dragging of his hips into an incredibly long roll. Dean tried very hard to concentrate but everything was overwhelming. He’d never been marked before and he found it strangely welcoming. He dipped his head and licked his way inside Castiel’s mouth, hoping to find something to quench his thirst for more. He needed to hold back or he was gonna explode long before things got started. It had been forever since he’d been intimate with anything other than his hand and it didn’t make up for the stamina he’d once had. 

“You are mine now. Do you have any objections?” Cas asked sliding his shirt over his head. He tossed it across the room, and pushed back into Dean’s personal space before it even hit the ground. Castiel hovered against Dean’s lips but didn’t go any further, he raised his brow as if he were waiting for an answer. 

“No objections.” Dean swallowed hard really hoping at some point he’d be the suave and talented lover he’d once been. He’d never been a shy person. Hell, he never even knew what shy was until this thing with Cas started. Since then he’d become really good friends with all kinds of words and emotions he’d never used or experienced before.

“Good then, no more waiting Dean, please?” he asked. Dean cursed those gorgeous eyes, they should be cloned and used in an effort for World Peace; he would wager it against any plan the politicians could come up with. He let out a harsh growl and sucked Castiel’s chapped lip into his mouth as his hands slid over the round firm cheeks of ass and lifted as the strong thighs clasped around his waist. 

Dean carried Castiel to the bed and gently laid him down against the soft mattress, he knew if he didn’t spend time focused on making Castiel forget his own damn name the man would push him over the edge before he was ready. He smiled as he felt his confidence flooding back. Dean Winchester was excellent at distracting which was exactly what he was about to do. He bit his lower lip before sliding his tongue out to rove the plush curves of his upper one and gave a cocky wink as he slid to his knees slowly leaving a trail of kisses and nibbles on the way down. 

Dean dipped his tongue under the low riding waistband of Castiel’s jeans and hummed when he felt the slight tremble. He swiftly unfastened the buttons and pulled the clinging fabric down, Cas lifted his hips to help him get them off completely. Dean took his time exploring, his fingernails scraped gently across the tanned skin of Castiel’s toned thighs and smiled when he dug deeper, just enough to break the skin and was rewarded again with an obscene moan from the chapped pink lips. 

Dean’s palm eased it’s way to the center of the warm vee between Cas’ legs until he was rushed further by Castiel’s own hand pulling his to the burning outline of his long hard cock beneath the thin cotton. Dean teased him by brushing his thumb against the base and sliding it up softly until he reached the head which was poking out from under the elastic band. 

“This is what you want baby? You want my hand on you?” he asked knowing exactly what the answer would be. Castiel was already canting his hips and pushing himself against Dean’s thumb, whimpering. 

“Please. More Dean,” he begged. Cas’ body shook just a little, but enough for him to feel the tremor under his hand.

Dean loved hearing the desperation in his voice but it wasn’t enough to keep him from relenting a little. He wanted to break Cas apart but from his touch, not from the lack of it. He hooked his thumb under the last layer that covered the gorgeously sculpted body beneath him and removed it quickly. He smiled up at the anxious man before licking a stripe from the base all the way up to the tip and sucking the small drop that was forming on the head. 

“Mmm so good baby, gonna drive you wild with my mouth just to taste it again,” he said brushing the rough part of his tongue over the tip, and just to make his point he blew on the dampened slit. Castiel growled and arched off the bed, he couldn’t help the small thrill it gave him to illicit such a reaction out of the handsome man. Unwilling to let air keep it cool for long he pushed it past his lips and sucked his jaws together tightly around the head. 

Dean licked and teased with his tongue as his hand slid in tight even strokes from the base up twisting as he jerked to the top. He pulled on it with the suction from his mouth and he moaned around it when Castiel thrust his hips up shoving it further into his mouth. Dean made sure it was slicked up all the way down and began easing his way to the bottom. His mouth clenching until the tip was squeezed into his throat and he felt Cas’ legs shake and his hips stutter. 

He popped off long enough to look up and smile at Castiel before he said, “It’s okay Cas, go ahead. I can take it.” 

Dean slipped the tip past his lips and speared his mouth onto the leaking cock. He could taste the salty cum spilling onto his tongue but not for long because Castiel’s hand was on the back of his head moving gently at first, then gathering a rhythm where he was thrusting into Dean’s throat every other push. Dean had never been one to get off from giving a blowjob but the way Cas’ long slender cock dipped past the tight opening and hit his gag reflex was fucking sexy. It wasn’t enough to cause him to choke just enough to show him that he did in fact have one.

“Fuck, gonna cum Dean,” Castiel breathed. Dean almost didn’t hear it with the loud thrumming of his heart beating in his ears. Cas eased up as if he were going to let Dean off but, determined to finish the job, Dean plunged himself further until he’d speared his throat with the tip and then did everything he could to moan around it. He even tried to swallow which was apparently the perfect thing to do because almost instantly Castiel jerked and cursed as the hot ropes of cum shot into his throat.

Dean hummed as he cleaned up the remaining drops that escaped his mouth before pulling off with a loud pop. He smiled as he climbed to his feet and reached for his zipper as he gave Castiel time to snap out of his post orgasmic haze. Dean wasn’t going to complain though, the deliriously happy look on Cas’ face was enough to keep him calm. He pulled off his jeans and slid into the other side of the bed, not stopping until he was right up against Castiel’s side and pulled him closer. 

He left a kiss on top of the sweat slick forehead and sighed contentedly, his cock was aching for attention but as cheesy as it was, Dean found he really would have been okay if that was all that happened and that was more than a little shocking to his system. Thankfully Castiel had other plans and straddled him just a few seconds later, leaning up to bite and suck at his lips. Dean’s hands took their place on Castiel’s hips and he moaned loudly as the man began to grind against him. 

Dean reached toward the nightstand and grabbed a small bottle of lube and a string of condoms he’d recently bought “Just to be safe,” he’d told himself. Now he was grateful that he’d thought ahead. He wasn’t sure where it would lead but he felt safe just handing the bottle and the single condom he’d tore off to Castiel and letting him choose. 

Dean was surprised and a little relieved when Cas opened himself up and then rolled the condom over Dean’s neglected cock. It wasn’t that he had a problem being fucked it had just been a helluva long while and he didn’t want to take the time to stretch himself back out. Castiel slid down slowly, and the constricting tightness nearly made Dean scream. He focused all his energy into keeping his hips still so Cas could take his time and he wouldn’t get hurt. 

Once Cas was fully seated on his cock he began to move, he swirled his hips in slow and rhythmic circles. Dean groaned and bit his lip trying to hold it all in but it felt so amazing. The warm wet slide of Cas’ tight ass moving up and down on him was enough to have driven anyone crazy. “Mmm fuck baby, feel so good on my cock.” 

They moved together quite easily, Deam giving light thrusts every time Cas circled back around to his starting point. The only time their hips stammered was when Castiel leaned forward and claimed him once again. Dean couldn’t be held responsible for not thinking clearly while the delicious biting and sucking was taking place. Their pace sped up, and he heard Cas whimper and moan as their heated pants drew closer. He felt the slide of nails down his chest and growled at the perfect amount of pleasure and pain.

Not knowing how much longer he could hold out Dean reached up and began stroking Castiel’s rejuvenated cock. He squeezed tightly and moved faster as the hips on top of him did the same. It wasn’t going to be much longer before he couldn’t hold himself back anymore. He arched his hips and almost accidentally found Cas’ prostate. Castiel jerked wildly and let out a deep groan giving it away. He smiled as he moved both hands to the man’s hips and began to pound against it relentlessly.

“Cas, fuck.. cum for me baby… lemme hear you cum again so I can fill you up,” he moaned breathlessly as air was becoming harder and harder to hold onto. A few seconds later he felt Cas shaking and heard the scream before he let himself follow, tumbling over the edge with a blinding white flash in his eyes.

After he regained some of the strength in his legs Dean stood up and grabbed a washcloth to run it under the warm water before cleaning them both, and snuggling up to Cas for the night. Their bodies still drenched with sweat but completely sated and unwilling to move again. He hugged Castiel in closer and wrapped his arms around the practically glowing body. This was better than he’d ever hoped for, the sex had been phenomenal but it was more that he felt like this could be the same way tomorrow, and all the days after that. They drifted off to sleep despite the fact that Dean hated afternoon naps. He supposed if they were anything like this maybe they weren’t so bad. 

Dean had planned to make some sort of romantic dinner for the two of them, since he wasn’t one for fancy restaurants. However it seemed Cas had other ideas, he only let Dean out of the bedroom twice that day. Once for some quick healthy snacks and drinks to keep themselves energized and hydrated, and the second to get the spare sheet set after they’d shared a shower and before they fell asleep for the night, Castiel draped his body over Dean’s and for the first time in years Dean didn’t have a million thoughts running through his mind and tempting to overtake him. 

“Dean?” He heard Castiel ask timidly.

“Yeah babe?” he answered giving a small kiss to the top of Cas’ head that was lying on his chest.

“What are we gonna do tomorrow?” he asked with trepidation still in his voice.

“Well I dunno. I mean I could call off work if you want but I don’t think they’ll take Dr. Sexy’s sick leave as a form of legitimate documentation,” he teased, ruffling the long dark spikes to make them muss up even further.

“Dean I’m serious. The children will be home tomorrow. Do we go back to normal or…” 

Realization struck and Dean couldn’t help but chuckle, he figured if he were Cas he’d have felt the same way but it seemed totally ridiculous to him. “Cas, I don’t plan on hiding you if that’s what you’re asking. I’ll set the twins down and have a talk with them when I get in from work tomorrow. But baby I’m telling you, they’re gonna be fine with it.” 

He felt Castiel relax in his arms but not to the point he was actually relaxed. “And if they aren’? Then what?” 

Dean huffed out a sigh, he supposed it was a possibility but a microscopic one at best. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Try not to get yourself worked up about this. Matty and Annabeth love you Cas. I don’t think it’s a far stretch to think they’d want you to stick around as much as I do, and just for the record all kids think it’s gross when their parents make out….with someone.” 

Good save Dean, he told himself. He really hadn’t meant the words to come out like that but he just said what popped into his head. There wasn’t even much hesitation, surely it was undetectable. Yeah, he was good. Nothin’ to worry about.


	13. Chapter 13

All day while he was at work Dean looked forward to going home, and it wasn’t just the fact that his kids would be there, or that Cas would be there waiting for him either. He was ecstatic about telling the twins about their relationship. He didn’t like keeping secrets and he knew they’d love the idea as much as he did. They’d loved Cas from the moment they’d seen his adorable face through the screen too, and he was certain this wouldn’t change a thing. 

He always watched the clock repeatedly until he could get home, but that day it was more than most, as he needed to get out of there. The office was becoming more and more difficult to stay at for the entire work day. He’d began skipping out half an hour early a few weeks ago and now it was like torture to be there. Each and every minute ticked by slower than the one before. He rested his head against the desk and if he were a religious man he would have prayed for some sort of release. He rushed home at lunch and fought every instinct to blurt out the truth, or simply pull Cas in for the kiss he’d been daydreaming about for the entirety the day. He knew they all deserved better than that though, so he didn’t. And despite his unwillingness to go back, Castiel pushed him out the door knowing he’d regret it if he called off.

Thankfully the second half of his day went a bit faster because he actually had work to keep him occupied and not simply watch the small movement of the clock’s hands. He was just about to hop into his baby when Bela, Walter’s secretary, chased him across the parking lot. He would have left but it was blatantly rude to do so when she was screaming his name and everyone could hear her. She’d been trying to get in his pants for months now and he’d been really good about avoiding her but today was not his lucky day. 

“Dean, there you are. I’ve been looking for you everywhere lately.” 

“Yeah, I’m a busy guy Bela as a matter of fact I was just about to head home,” he said as politely as he could, despite the fact that she made his skin crawl. Sure the package was nice but the woman had vulture written all over her. 

“Now Dean, If I didn’t know better I’d think you were trying to run away from me. Don’t trust yourself around me?” she teased in her nasally voice, and pushed her body closer to his. 

He reached out and put his hands on her hips to move her backward, as he tried not to choke on her ego. “Bela I’m not interested. Not even a little bit. So before you embarrass yourself further, I’m going to go home to my kids and someone I actually want that close to me.” 

Dean pushed past her and slid into the smooth leather of the Impala, where he’d always felt safe. He put her in reverse and sped from the paved lot to put as much distance between himself and the leech as he could. He stopped off at the florist down the road not sure what to get but wanting to celebrate all the same. He stepped inside and was instantly taken in by the smell of fresh cut roses and a variety of other flowers. He walked up to the counter and was greeted with a friendly wave and a warm smile. 

“Hi. Can I help you?” The cute lady behind the counter was beaming and her curly locks flowing past her shoulders. 

“Yeah. I, I’m not sure what I need but I was thinkin.. celebratory bouquet?” Dean asked with a half smile and a shy upward glance.

“Okay, well, tell me a little about who you’re celebrating with?” she asked with a kind and welcoming look.

“Well umm he’s smart, and funny, and he smells like coconut and rain. How is that even possible? And he’s got these amazing blue eyes, like I’ve never even seen that color before.” He stopped, and quickly realized that probably wasn’t what she’d meant.

A wider smile formed on her fair skinned face and she just chuckled.

“I’m sorry,” he added on, only a little embarrassed.

“Oh it’s okay, it’s fine. We’ll totally fix it!” she said in an eager and somewhat calming voice. He laughed at himself and fought the nervous flutters in his stomach. He always seemed to feel that way when he thought about Cas, but he knew that no matter what he’d find something he was happy with and of course Castiel would be satisfied with whatever he picked.

“Okay, well we only just worked things out yesterday and I want to find something that lets him know I don’t regret a minute of it,” he said trying to hide the blush from his cheeks but knowing he was probably going off like Rudolphs nose. 

“Alright, lets see. How about roses? They’re a little cliche’ but maybe your guy is a cliche’ kind of guy? Huh?” she said with a cheesy smile, as if she knew he’d turn her down.

“Yeah, I don’t think so,” he responded. Dean took his time to look around the shop now, taking in all the different colors and varieties of flowers. The daisies reminded him a little of his mother so he skipped right past them and kept his mind away from the sad thoughts that would have caused. His eyes fell to a large pot full of blue and white flowers and he pointed to it immediately. 

“Ahh the Hydrangeas, that’s an excellent choice. I’m not the type of person who believes in the supernatural mind you, but I’d say these flowers have some pretty awesome luck. I’ve been here four years and this particular flower has only been purchased a handful of times but each and every time, they came back and have never bought any other kind. I take that to mean the relationship is going pretty strong wouldn’t you say?” she winked and began wrapping the stems.

He smiled even brighter hoping that what she was implying was true, despite the likelihood it was just a really good sales technique. He pulled his wallet out and left a fairly large tip just because she’d been kind and helpful, it had absolutely nothing to do with the hopeless romantic buried inside him. She accepted it but placed the change she should have given him into the jar on the counter beside the register. 

“You know, one of those customers was my Dan and I gotta say; I’d pick him over a cliche’ rose anyday,” she said holding up the gold band on her left hand. 

Dean was humming and smiling as he left the corner shop. He slid behind the wheel of his baby, cranked the radio, and headed home. When he pulled into the garage he excitedly jumped out, flowers in hand and stepped inside. He was instantly greeted by Annabeth and Matty clinging to him and excitedly talking about all the things they’d seen and done at the zoo. He’d managed to talk to them for a brief few minutes when he walked in the door but it was mostly just ‘how was your days’ and ‘I love you’s’. 

“Daddy did you know they have Wolverines! They don't look like the one from X-Men, but they’re kinda cool” Matty said, emphasizing the name with wide eyes and an excited squeal.

“Daddy did you get me flowers?” Annabeth asked curiously, her eyebrows dipped down in confusion.

“Not exactly, but here you go punkin’,” he said pulling one of the wrapped stems out and handing it to her. 

“Where’s Cas?” Dean asked looking around the room.

“He said you wanna talk to us bout sumfin,” Matty said backing out of the way of his father’s footsteps. 

Dean shook his head and smiled, of course he’d thought Dean meant to have the conversation by himself but that wasn’t the case at all. He probably should have explained it better but he was in a post orgasmic daze and couldn’t be held responsible for his inability to make his point. He ushered the twins into the living room, and sat them down on the couch. He stood by the staircase, holding the flowers behind his back.

“Castiel, get your adorable face in here!” He shouted through the house with a bright smile climbing up his cheeks as the kids started laughing.

Cas smiled as he sped down the stairs, and took in the sight of the twins laughing and Dean in his suit waiting for him. “That was quick,“ he said with a lifted brow.

“We can’t have a family meeting without everyone in the family being here,” Dean said smiling wider. Cas did the same as he stepped off the staircase. 

“O-kay,” Cas replied drawing out the ‘oh’ sound, hesitation clear in his voice.

He moved closer to the couch and crouched before the twins. He wanted to keep the talk light but serious at the same time. “Guys you know how Uncle Sammy and Jess are gonna get married?”

They nodded so he continued. “Well before Sammy gave Jess the ring that she always wears they were just dating. Which meant they spent time together. Sometimes went to dinner and movies, and sometimes they kissed and held hands and stuff like that. right?”

“Duh, Daddy,” Annabeth chimed, while Matty just crinkled his nose at the mention of kissing.

“Well, how would you feel if I wanted to date Cas.”

Both children’s eyes went wide and they looked to Castiel and back to their father. “Really?” Annabeth squealed excitedly.

“Yeah, if that’s okay with you.” Dean smiled back still waiting for a reaction from Matty.

“YES! This means Cas can stay with us forever!” She jumped up from the couch and ran to him latching on with a crushing hug. 

“Are you going to get married?” Matty asked, as if he were really thinking things through. 

“I don’t know. Maybe one day, but for now we just really like spending time together and we wanted to see what you guys thought about it.”

“Boys are husbands and girls are wifes,” Matty said, it wasn’t hateful or rude, just as if he were trying to understand.

“Yeah, thats usually how it works,” Dean added letting him work things out in his own time.

“But you’re both boys, so you would both be husbands.”

“Well yes. If Cas and I were to get married we would both be husbands.”

“So that means you love each other right?” Matty asked, finally looking up at his father.

“Well there’s a process to these things kiddo, it’s not overnight that you fall in love but I’d say it’s pretty likely to happen at some point,” he answered smiling up at Cas who was looking more than a little uneasy. He gave him a wink and waited for Matty’s next question.

“So are you gonna like kiss and stuff now?” he asked scrunching his nose up again.

“Well, yeah, sometimes.” 

Dean was stopped by Matty’s emphatic “Eww!”

“Just to clear things up here, you’d feel the same way about me kissing anyone right? Its not Cas or the fact that he’s a boy right?”

“Uh yeah, kissing’s gross. And why would I care Cas is a boy? Boys are awesome. Girls are the ones you have to watch out for,” Matty said seriously.

It took everything he had to not bust out laughing but he only held it in until he heard Castiel’s booming laugh spreading through the room, and everyone joined in. Matty didn’t seem sure as to why but he eventually joined in. 

“I think it’s cute,” Annabeth grinned in a sing song voice.

“Thanks punkin’ I think he’s pretty cute too.” Dean smiled. 

“Daddy don’t you have something to give Cas?” she said cocking her head to the side and blinking both eyes, not quite having mastered the art of winking just yet. He was going to have to either decrease her Charlie time and save her from geekdom or surrender to it and let her go full on dork-side.

He stood up, the flowers still clenched behind his back and not visible. He walked over until he was straight in front of Cas who was wearing a curious expression. He fell to one knee and Cas’ eyes went wide, partially out of fear he assumed. But Dean just smiled and pulled the bouquet out. “Cas, would you like to have dinner with me sometime?”

“Yes, you big jerk!” Castiel answered slapping Dean’s shoulder playfully before helping him to his feet and pulling him in for a quick chaste kiss.

“Already!” Matty exclaimed.

“Awww.” Annabeth cooed. 

“I think they’re okay with it,” Dean said smiling against Castiel's lips.

“Good, I’d have hated to leave you behind when I took them back with me,” he teased. 

“Oh you’re not going anywhere Angel,” Dean teased and nipped once at the trembling lip that was practically begging for it.

“Angel?” Castiel tilted his head to the side.

“You can thank Missouri for that pet name, but I think it suits you.” 

“Maybe so,” he said smiling wider as they both moved away from one another and focused their attention on tickling the twins. They laughed and played together for hours after that, all the way through dinner, up until it was time to crawl into bed. They both tucked the twins in that night and they’d repeated their Goodnights and I love you’s twice that night. Dean was surprised at just how full his heart could feel but it did, he was happier than he’d ever thought possible and it was all because Castiel was just what he needed.


	14. Epilogue

It was almost the final round of the cooking competition and Dean was surprised to hear his name called. Everyone was sitting in the bleachers cheering excitedly. Sam and Jess were in the front row beside Cas and the twins. Charlie and her girlfriend Dorothy were on their right dressed up as pirate princesses because Annabeth didn’t want to be the only one. Benny and his “friend” Alfie were eye fucking on Sam’s left. Dean couldn’t help but laugh, eventually he’d have to “interfere” just like his friend had done for him. 

The last category was a mystery, they’d already went through five rounds and made eight dishes. As tired as he was, and as much as his feet ached, he’d never been more happy. The crew had passed around a few times and he’d done his best to answer their questions. One of the guys holding camera had complimented him on his ability to multitask cooking and talking at the same time. At first Dean thought the guy was being sarcastic but when he watched countless others try and fail he realized maybe it wasn’t. He guessed some people weren’t used to cooking and watching two kids like a hawk but he’d always been able to do it and for that he was now thankful.

The announcer's voice echoed over the loudspeaker “Taking a break, be back at your station in under ten minutes or you’ll be disqualified, no exceptions. No contestants are permitted to leave the property. Refreshment tables and bathrooms are located on the southeast corner of the building. If you need help finding them please ask one of the staff members wearing the yellow shirts.”

He slipped over to the stands just to give the kids a hug and sit down for a couple minutes, he wouldn’t spend the whole ten but he did want to see them. He pushed through the crowd and locked onto the bright blue eyes of his boyfriend and smiled. Dean picked his pace up and began jogging toward the bleachers, he figured the kids would have already been screaming to get out of there but they seemed quite content. 

“Daddy you look so pretty on the big screen!” Annabeth screeched excitedly.

“Umm, thanks, Punkin.” 

“Dad the thing you did with the torch was AWESOME!” Matty said and Dean laughed knowing that it was a pure fluke that it worked. He was running out of time and his “baked mac and cheese” had taken longer than he expected because someone had turned the oven down while he wasn’t watching. The cheese was melted but it wasn’t going to give the crunch he wanted, so in a moment of desperation he’d taken a small torch to the top of each of the eight small ramekins. 

“Thanks bub, I’m glad you liked it,” Dean beamed, scraping his fingers through Matty’s hair until he jerked his head away looking offended. 

“Uhh, Dad. Not my hair!”

“She’s right you know, you do look mighty pretty on the big screen up there.” Benny said laughing. Dean turned around to where his hands were hidden behind his back and flipped him off.

He got a quick kiss and a good luck from Cas before slipping back to his station and wiping it down with disinfectant. He knew that some of the crew were going around straightening the stations, but he’d always hated the idea of someone else cleaning up after him. So he liked to wash as he went so there wasn’t a big mess behind. He stood there waiting until the clock ran out and they announced the mystery category for the final round. Dean hoped it wasn’t something fancy, that would be his downfall.

The announcer counted down from 10 and everyone was rushing back to their stations, Dean had no idea why they’d cut it close like that but to each their own, he guessed. After the round began and they turned the cameras back on and the host did his intro spiel it was finally time to announce the final mystery category. “In your final round you’ll be asked to serve to the judges … a delicious and personal take or your own recipe, of …..a…..PASTRY!”

Dean visibly relaxed if there was a list of things he was worried about, Pastries and Burgers were the bottom two. He couldn’t help the fact that his face lit up at the mention of pastry.. that was until they put a forty-five minute time bomb on him. Anyone who knew anything about pies and making your own crust, would know that it took at least an hour or two. So he improvised, it was one of the things Dean Winchester was best at. 

He mixed the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and cold butter together and formed one large dough ball. Next he rolled it out into a long rectangle. He brushed it down with melted butter and heavily sprinkled cinnamon and sugar over it. Then he put it in the oven having already used almost a third of his time. He peeled and diced the apples quickly, using expert knife techniques that seemed to wow the crowd as well as the judges. Then he cooked them in a saucepan with butter, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a secret ingredient. They were reducing fairly quickly which was nice and the smell was amazing according to one of the interviewers.

He checked the pastry in the oven and was relieved to find they’d turned out perfectly, and no temperature mistakes this time. He’d kept an eye on the ovens the entire time just to be sure something didn’t go wrong. He cut them into strips about two inches wide and three times as long before arranging three per plate while stirring the simmering apples. When the fruit was softened and it had melted together with the spices he poured a small bowl for each judge and added them to their respective plates. He’d just scooped his last dollop of vanilla ice cream onto the warm apple filling dip when the buzzer went off. 

He backed away from his dish more than a little happy with himself because of his success so far. If he were honest he’d have to say that he really really wanted to win now that he’d gotten so close. He smiled as he took a bite of the leftover pastry and closed his eyes around the mouthful of flavor. It was amazing, and he’d tasted more than his fair share of pie crust but the sticks he’d put together were the perfect mix of crunch and melt in your mouth dough.

It was nerve racking watching the judges take their time to taste each individual dish, his ice cream quickly melting over the dip. It was going to be a disaster, why did he do that? Just when he thought his luck had ran out, they called his name. He presented, noticing the icecream was still mostly solid so it hadn’t ruined the dish completely. Everyone gave glowing remarks, and he left feeling pretty comfortable with his odds. 

When the announcement came, he felt his nerves spiking and his palms began to sweat, he wasn’t sure he’d ever been this nervous except for maybe when Lisa was having the twins, or telling Cas how he felt. None of his time in the marines could compare though, so that was saying something.

“Third place goes to Janice Marsh with the Wild Cherry Crumble.” Dean smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Second place goes to Dean Winchester and his Sweet Apple Pie Dip n’ Sticks.” He smiled brightly for the cameras and bit back just a little disappointment. It wasn’t much really, but he wanted to win and he hadn’t. However, he’d still he’d competed against over a hundred people he’d lasted each round to make it to the finals. For a guy who’d never had professional training that wasn’t too bad. So he focused on the good and let that sliver of failure slip away.

Dean didn’t even hear the winner because he was so focused on wrapping his head around being second place; the shock and excitement was enough to keep him distracted. Everyone ran up to him and congratulated him, he was crushed so tightly into a hug that he was pretty sure involved Sam, Benny, and Cas, that he was almost certain one of his ribs would have cracked if it had been any tighter. They were all still buzzing from the event as he cleaned up his station to leave, and heard his name being called.

“Dean Winchester?” 

He turned around to see none other than Alton Brown, one of his idols from the Food Network. His mouth dropped open and he realized that’s where he’d recognized the announcer’s voice from.

“Um yeah. That’s me. I mean. Yes?” he stuttered nervously trying to catch his breath over the fact that Alton Fucking Brown was talking to him, and knew his name.

“I’m opening a new bakery up here in San Francisco and I was wondering what it would take for me to sign you on as head baker?”

“Woah, I mean.. umm are you sure? You know I didn’t win right?” Dean cursed himself and his self loathing personality as soon as the words had left his mouth.

“I know, but I also happen to know that the guy who did win is a total tool. So what do ya think? Am I wasting my time or are you interested?”

“Well sir, I’m flattered, but I can’t leave my job for minimum wage. I have two kids to take care of.”

“We’ll talk salary on Monday, here’s my card and I’m pretty sure we can work something out you won’t have to worry about providing for your family,” he added with a smile, as Dean took the business card from his hand and tried not to jump like a teenage girl. 

After Alton got out of view he did just that, he jumped excitedly before Cas pulled him in for a deep but chaste kiss. “I told you I’d bet on you.”

“Thanks for this, thanks for everything. I love you Angel,” Dean said trying to hide the small tear on the verge of breaking over his lid.

“I love you too Dean.”

Everyone cheered and sang all the way home where they celebrated Dean’s almost victory by ordering pizza, because the last thing he wanted to do that night was cook anything else. Eventually the crowd filtered out and it was just him and Cas alone on the couch. The twin’s night with Sam and Jess had become a weekly tradition, and they did their very best to make the most of it. It was by far the happiest time in his life and it wasn’t perfect, it wasn’t a fairy tale just as he’d promised it wouldn’t be, but it was pretty damn good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thank you goes to everyone who helped in making this, 
> 
> @tamnation my co-author/friend/internet wife. I could not have done this without her constant support, not to mention all the grammatical help! 
> 
> blackinkedfeather, my amazingly wonderfully talented artist (I totally lucked out there)
> 
> @Dana for beta' reading it for us... it never hurts to have another set of eyes. 
> 
> @MishaAteMyBlog, @ANobleCompanion, @DestielHardcoreLove for reading over bits of it and giving me great advice! 
> 
>  
> 
> Also anyone I left out! Thank you so much!!!


	15. Second Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay so, this was all finished and complete and stuff, but when I asked @graycoffee what she wanted for her birthday she said more of this.. so here's a second epilogue, if you're interested in that kind of thing. I think this was either beta'd or looked over by @ANobleCompanion, who also asked for more of this. All remaining mistakes are my own, she's a lovely human being who puts up with my excessively bad punctuation!

Dean slid off the smooth leather seat of his baby and stepped out. He had plans for the evening, and as the nervous excitement almost overtook him completely, a calm rush of happiness battled it’s way to the top. His boots clicked against the pavement as he crossed over to the sidewalk and stepped inside the familiar space. The bell over the door jingled, causing his smile to climb further up his face.

When he didn’t see the adorable redhead behind the counter he called out “Hello, Dana?” 

It didn’t take her long to respond, and she wasn’t really the quiet type which made it easy for him to follow her voice into the back of the shop. 

“Dean, hey you’re early… right? I mean, it’s not that you’re not welcome every day if you wanna stop in, but you usually come by at the end of the month.” Dean couldn’t help but smile that she really took the time to notice. Of course, he’d been buying flowers there once a month for over a year and it would have been pretty hard to miss. 

“Yeah, I uh, I need something different this time. Well, a little different. I know I should probably have gone somewhere else, but I figured you know more about flowers, and I like coming here, and I was hoping you could help me...” 

“Dean, sweetie. Just tell me what you’re lookin’ for.” She beamed, clipping the stems of a gorgeous set of lilies. 

“Well, I uh, I kinda wanted to plant some of those flowers I buy from you all the time. I don’t have much experience with landscaping or anything like that, but Cas has a green thumb and I’m pretty sure he’d be able to take care of them.”

‘So, what you’re telling me is you want to give him... a more permanent, flower arrangement?” she teased him, but the smile on her face told him she knew exactly what was going on and couldn’t be happier for him. 

“Yeah, that’s pretty much exactly what I’m looking for.” Dean smiled and felt a blush creeping up his neck, but he didn’t bother hiding it. 

“Well then, you came to the right place. Just gimme one quick second, and I’ll tell you everything you need to know about hydrangeas.” she said, her nose wrinkling up just a little as she shifted the cut flowers into a vase and then the refrigerator. 

She gestured wildly with her hands as she told him what the plant needed, and how it would grow almost anywhere. He’d actually believed her when she’d said that having a hydrangea bush was minimal effort, and she wasn’t at all concerned about either of them being able to care for it. She wrote down instructions, and even wrote down her home number in case he hit a snag of any kind. He shook his head, wondering if it was just a way to get proposal details out of him. 

“Thanks, Dana. I really don’t know what I’d do without you sometimes.” He let out a small chuckle as he picked out a small surprise bouquet for Annabeth, and a large box of candy for Matty.

“It’s nothin, really. That’s what I’m here for. Besides, I’d hate to lose my lucky flowers story.” She added a small wink, before handing over his change. He said a quick goodbye and stepped back through the door, the California air not smelling nearly as sweet as it had inside the shop. 

He pulled into the garage, his heart ticking up a beat as he gathered his gifts. Dean smiled when he walked in the door, his kitchen smelling of cinnamon and apples. He’d left a couple pies in the refrigerator instructing his boyfriend to put them in the oven at the right time. Castiel had just smiled at him and fondly rolled his eyes. He’d barely managed to sit Matty’s candy on the island beside Annabeth’s flowers before being tackled into hugs. 

“Hey, hey, easy now. You don’t want to ruin your presents do you?” Dean teased, their eyes went wide as they took in the flowers and candy. 

“YES! MY FAVORITE!” Matty yelled, as a kid, even a box of candy seemed to be the best and most exciting thing in the world. Annabeth squealed and awwe’d. Dean would have moved mountains if it meant his kids smiling so brightly, luckily it didn’t take that much to make them happy. 

Cas came down the stairs not long after, his hair ridiculously tousled and Dean had to fight back the urge to just sweep him upstairs and take him to bed. Castiel’s grin widened further when he took in how gloriously cheerful the twins were acting. Dean moved in quickly, crossing the hardwood floor until he was right in front of his unbelievably gorgeous boyfriend. He leaned in, giving him a soft kiss and playfully biting his lip just a little not wanting it to get too heated. 

“Hey, sweetheart. How was your day?” Dean asked, pulling Cas in under his arm until they were both leaning comfortably against one another. He tried to calm his nerves, knowing he had to be patient or he’d never last long enough to put his plans into action.

“It was good, really good. I finished most of my article while the kids were at school, we met Charlie at Annabeth’s dance class and she took video of Matthew’s basketball practice for us, and then we switched over and she took Annabeth to her karate’ class and Matthew stayed for the boy’s dance class.” Cas smiled, leaning in for another short and far more chaste kiss, than Dean would have liked.

“Awesome, sounds like you guys had a full day. How bout you punkin, did you have fun today?” Dean turns to his daughter, a thick ponytail bouncing up and down as she nodded cheerfully.

“Annabeth almost knocked Dash Whitfield out!” Matty jumped enthusiastically, quickly reprimanded by his sister with a stone cold glare. 

“Matty!” she squealed indignantly.

“What? It was awesome,” he answered, clearly not seeing the problem with what happened.

“Wait a minute, are you saying she hit this boy?” Castiel asked, clearly as shocked by the revelation as Dean had been. 

“No! No, it was nothing,” she answered, only to get shushed by her father. Dean narrowed his gaze on to Matty and raised an eyebrow.

Matty shrugged his shoulders, obviously thinking it must have not been the wisest idea to open his mouth. “Yea, was nothin’ really.” 

“Matthew Lucas Winchester, you tell me what you were gonna say right this minute,” Dean said in an even tone, not raising his voice and drawing his face into a serious expression.

“Daaaad, its fine. It was nothing I promise.” Annabeth pleaded before Matty opened his mouth. When his face didn’t change she huffed and motioned for her brother to go ahead and tell him. 

He twiddled his fingers behind his back and tried to hold back a smile as he told the story of what happened. “Dash said some mean stuff and then Annabeth told him that she could break boards with her hands. He umm... he laughed at her so she twisted his hand behind his back until he said sorry.”

Dean and Cas turned to one another, both looking surprised. Annabeth would have been the last person they suspected of letting anything get to her, much less using her karate skills on someone unless it was in self defense. 

“Punkin, why in the world would you do that?” Dean crouched, bringing himself down to her eye-level. He could see her face heating up, he assumed it was a guilty blush until the words started spewing from her mouth. 

“Dash is a jerkface who makes fun of everyone that’s not one of his stupid jerkface friends. He was making fun of Matty for taking dance classes, he said it made him a girl and asked me what it was like to have a twin sister. I told him that he was being mean and that he should remember that I can break boards with my hands and he just kept going, he kept saying that if Matty was the girl then maybe I was the boy and he just wouldn’t shut up. So I made him say he was sorry to Matty and then I let him go.” She was seething with a rage that Dean himself had felt so many times. Growing up with Sammy being so much smaller than himself, he’d definitely understood that protective instinct. 

Dean lifted an eyebrow and fought back his smile. “So what you’re telling me is this kid was picking on Matty and you stood up for your brother without actually hurting him?” 

“Well, it might have hurt a little…” Annabeth smiled and Dean couldn’t hold his back anymore. He let out a huge laugh and hugged her close to him. Matty piled on top of them, Castiel looking confused the entire time.

“You know you can’t do that anymore. Right, Punkin?” Dean asked, pulling away from their pile-on. He knew that it wouldn’t really stop her from looking out for Matty, but as her parent he really did need to not promote violence. 

“I know, Daddy.” She her proud smile faded just a little but when her brother thanked her, it returned quickly. Of course, that meant she immediately shoved him in the shoulder playfully.

“Alright, go on and get your hands washed for dinner,” He looked up and Castiel was still looking at him in shock, as if he expected Dean to be much harsher than he’d ended up.

“You’re not going to reprimand her further?” Castiel asked. Dean could tell he was being cautious as to not tip the balance of too intrusive boyfriend giving advice on raising children that weren’t his. 

“Do me a favor sweetheart. If you can’t imagine yourself doing the same for your sister at least go call her and ask how she would have reacted in Annabeth’s situation,” Dean said pleadingly, unwilling to explain his parenting methods at the moment. Nothing ever seemed to go the way he planned. It was something he’d gotten used to early in life. The circumstances had led him to Lisa, then the kids, then Cas and he wouldn’t really change that for anything. He just wished for one day, just one day, that things could go the way he wanted them to go.

Castiel walked away, hopefully to call Anna, but Dean could still see he was sort of upset with him. There was little he could do about it at the moment. He shifted around the kitchen and pulled the pie from the oven. Laying it out on the counter to cool as he took out the leftover taco meat from the previous night, spread it over a thin layer of Doritos. and coated it in cheese. Dean pushed it in the oven just as the kids had popped back into the kitchen.

“Alright, think we can get everything set up before Cas gets back in here?” Dean asked. He hoped they wouldn’t be eating alone, that would really ruin things. The kids got to work taking the plates, cups, and silverware off on the island, and resituating them on the table. He tried not to let his smile drop when he felt the ache in his chest that he sometimes got when he realized just how fast they were growing up. Starting the school year had not been fun, and if it weren’t for Cas he would surely have ended up a complete mess. As it was - well no, he was wrecked, but that was a secret they’d both take to their graves. 

He chopped the tomato and ripped the lettuce while the twins pulled out the napkins and the napkin holders. He took the taco casserole out of the oven and generously squirted some sauce across the melted cheese before he topped it off with the contents of his cutting board. Dean added a healthy dollop of sour cream on the slices he pulled out for himself and Annabeth. Matty refused to eat anything he hadn’t already given the seal of approval, and the spatula was still hesitating over the slice Dean had cut for Cas.

Dean sighed, picking up the pan with pot holders and putting it in on the their side of the table. He didn’t want to get his hopes up about Castiel joining them. As a last stitch effort to stall, he took Annabeth’s flowers and dunked them into a half filled vase and moved it to make a beautiful centerpiece. 

He took his seat and was about to break the news to the twins when Cas stepped shyly into the kitchen. He let out a long breath, so grateful that he’d managed not to screw things up too badly. The kids looked between them suspiciously and Dean longed for the days that they were just a little more clueless. 

“Who’s turn is it to say grace?” Dean asked curiously. Honestly he’d lost track. He’d been putting in so many hours at the bakery that he’d barely managed to remember his name half the time. Once they’d fully staffed the place, he knew it was coming. Alton had said several times over again that he didn’t want to be there full time, and even though Dean had taken on a lot more responsibility, he’d never actually given him control until that morning. He still had to get up at the asscrack of dawn but the promotion would enable him to get home for dinner which was always one of the most important parts of his day. 

“MINE!” Matty yelled quickly. He normally wasn’t so enthusiastic about it, but Dean did not consider himself the type of guy to look a gift horse in the mouth. 

“Alright buddy, go for it.” Dean’s arms stretched outward and his hands were instantly latched onto. Castiel on his left, Annabeth on the right. They bowed their heads and waited for Matty to speak. 

“Dear, God. Thank you for this food and thanks for letting Dad be here with us. Thanks for bringing Cas so he can take care of us while Dad’s at work and stuff. Oh, and thanks for giving me an awesome sister who can totally kick butt. That’s it, Amen.” Matty dropped the hands that were holding his and quickly started shoving food into his mouth, clearly not wanting to talk about what he’d said. 

Dean smiled, contentedly acting as if nothing was out of order. They made small talk about school, and Dean told the story of how Spider-Man had came into the shop to pick up cupcakes for a birthday party. The kids begged and pleaded to for Dean to let them hang out with him at work more often, just in case he decided to come back.

After they cleared the table, they sent the kids for their baths. They were now old enough to mostly take them on their own, with the doors cracked. Castiel started to work on the dishes, but Dean stopped him. “I can do that, will you do me a favor though? I left something at the shop and I kinda need it, but going back there is like the last thing I want to do.” 

“Of course, what do you need me to get?”

“I need the damn petal tip, I forgot about the 30 roses I need to pipe for the Martin’s wedding cake and if I don’t get them done tonight, there’s no way they’re gonna be dry in time to put them on the cake tomorrow.” Dean asked, using Sam’s puppy dog expression as much as possible. 

“You don't need to do that, Dean. I have no problem with doing things like this for you. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Cas gave him a quick peck on the cheek before he pulled the Durango keys from the hook by the door and left. Dean impatiently waited as he listened to it pulling out from the driveway. He rushed up the stairs, taking two at a time. 

“Alright guys I need your help. Hurry up with your baths and meet me downstairs. Pronto!” He moved into his and Cas’ shared bedroom and pulled on his oldest jeans and a well worn Metallica shirt. 

When he got back into the hall the kids were dressed in their pajamas looking at him as if he’d gone completely nuts. Dean ushered them to the garage and pulled the large pot with a small hydrangea from the trunk of his baby. He told the twins to grab the few small bags left inside and follow him out to the back yard. Dean quickly went through all the instructions Dana had given him to transplant the small (practically a newborn in plant years) bush. He checked his phone when he’d covered the roots back up and figured he had maybe another twenty minutes before Cas was back. 

“Okay, I need to go get a shower. I need you guys to grab some crayons or something and some paper. I want you to write each of these letters on one piece okay? Can you do that for me?” He asked, rushing his most legible script over the white board that normally hung on the fridge.

“Yes, I promise we’ll do it!” Annabeth smiled gleefully. Dean knew instantly that she’d read and understood the words despite her young age. Matty, seemed to still be in the dark but he was up for anything that might postpone his bedtime.

He rushed through one of the quickest showers he’d ever taken, and then poured himself into his favorite suit. He checked his phone again, and cursed under his breath. Any minute Cas would be pulling in. Dean prayed for just a little traffic as he headed back down the stairs. 

Annabeth was smiling brightly as she put the finishing touches on a huge question mark that Dean hadn’t really asked for, but damn his babygirl was smart. Matty was eager too, it seemed his sister let him in on what was happening and he was just as excited as she was.

“So I’m guessing there are no objections, and this is okay with you guys?” Dean asked, careful to not dismiss any concerns they might have.

“YES!” Both twins replying quickly before jumping up and down ecstatically. 

“Okay let’s get it set up then,” he said. Dean quickly wiped down the white board and stuck it back in it’s original place. He strung the letters together using a hole punch and a small ribbon. The twins opened the back door and he followed right behind them. Together they hung it up over the fence, and smiled at their handiwork. Dean felt in his pocket for the soft velvet box that had been hidden in his office at the shop for nearly three months. 

A nervous anxiety fluttered under his skin. There was no doubt in his mind that Cas loved him, and he loved the twins more than anything, but taking on an insta-family was a huge commitment. The expression on his boyfriend’s face when he’d not given Annabeth a more severe punishment was just another worry that flitted through his mind. To pass the time and ease the tension that was building inside him, Dean jogged into the kitchen and left a message on the whiteboard that simply said “Outside.”

He resumed his position on the cement walkway beside the unearthed soil and let out a sharp breath. Annabeth and Matty both came to his side, each one of them grabbing a hand as if they were trying to calm him down. He couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped when he realized that he wasn’t hiding anything from them, despite his best efforts. 

“He’s going to say yes,” Annabeth stated emphatically. He could see the sincerity and the certainty in her eyes as she rubbed circles onto his hand with her thumb. He smiled down at her and tried not to let his doubts spew out, which would have effectively dashed any kind of hope she’d built up. 

He’d decided early on that he really didn’t want to pressure Cas into anything, and having the twins there would probably put him in a difficult position if the answer was no, but he knew his boyfriend well enough that he would find a diplomatic way out of an awkward situation without building false hope or crushing their little hearts either way. If nothing else he’d just ask Dean to discuss it in private, and say it wasn’t something he was ready for, or even something he would never be ready for. The more he thought about it the more he panicked.

Thankfully he heard the hum of the Durango pulling into the driveway and made himself breathe. Matty took his hand away to wipe it on his pajamas before clutching back onto him, making Dean wonder which of them was more nervous. Somehow, he managed to hear the sound of Cas’ shoes slapping against the floor over the pulsing heartbeat pounding against his ears.

Through the glass patio door he could see his boyfriend coming and the first thing Cas did was the familiar head tilt as he took in the word scrawled across the whiteboard waiting for him. Dean couldn’t help the smile that drew up his lips or the warmth that flooded through him. He breathed a little more easily as the love and affection he felt for Castiel rushed through him. 

 

Castiel rushed through the door, only slightly irritated that he’d left his phone behind. Dean had said he needed a petal tip but did not clarify which size or number. Unable to call and find out he’d had to spend the better part of twenty minutes gathering every size he could find into a tip case, hoping that one would work. He was grateful to be home when he pulled in, only a small amount of traffic had gotten in his way. 

Castiel pushed inside the door and made his way through the living room into the kitchen to give Dean the tips he’d been able to locate and was more than a little surprised to not find him there. He was about to turn around and go upstairs, wondering if they’d started bedtime routine without him, when the word “Outside,” caught his attention. He wondered what they could possibly be doing, and how Dean had kept the twins so quiet that he hadn’t been able to hear them already. 

When he looked through the door his breath hitched in his throat. He’d come fairly close to losing all ability to breathe when he saw Dean in his most form fitting suit. The burgundy shirt accented with a soft grey tie that matched his jacket and pants. Castiel often wondered how anyone that had worked with Dean at Walter Braeden’s office was able to deal with a vision that gorgeous on a daily basis. 

He hadn’t noticed that his feet had started moving until he was reaching down to move the handle on the sliding glass door. The kids were dressed in their pajamas standing beside Dean; Annabeth wearing the brightest smile he’d seen on her since Charlie made her a Pirate Fairy costume to go with her Pirate Princess one, and Matty looking a little pale and nearly as nervous as Dean seemed to be. 

“What’s wrong?” Castiel’s brows furrowed with worry, surely Annabeth wouldn’t be smiling if the situation was too bad, but he wasn’t sure he’d ever seen his guys so on edge. 

Dean looked down at a newly planted bush and closed his eyes. Castiel watched the deep inhale and exhale of his breath before they reopened. He wasn’t sure what was happening but Cas’ heart began to speed up and quickly became a hammer inside his chest.

“Cas, I’ve known that you were special since the minute I saw those gorgeous blue eyes, and you’ve not disappointed me once. I know it hasn’t been easy, not with me, and not with the kids but you’ve been better and done more than I could have ever imagined possible. The twins love you, I love you, hell everyone I know loves you, and I can’t think of my life without you anymore. I bought blue and white hydrangeas for you the day I asked you out on our first date, and I’ve given them to you every month until now. This time I brought you a hydrangea bush. I wanted something to remind you and myself of what we mean to one another.” Dean was shaking visibly, and Castiel barely withstood the urge to move closer and comfort him. The shock of what was being said, or inferred, being the only thing that kept his distance.

He gasped as Dean let go of the twins hands and moved forward, gracefully dropping to one knee. The new position opened his vision up to a paper banner behind them, clearly drawn by the kids and laced across the fence. The tears slipped fast over the small lip of skin that had been holding them back, drawing lines down his face as he tried to listen to what Dean would say next.

“We love you, Cas. You’d make us the happiest family in the world if you’d wanna marry me.” Dean pulled a red box from his pocket and opened it wide. Inside was a gorgeous ring, light silver engravings beautifully etched into the darker metal band.

Castiel felt the wind stinging his eyes as the tears flowed freely. His emotions raw and sitting heavy in his chest were overwhelming. He couldn’t get the word out. Thankfully he still had a little control over his head movements and nodded it up and down quickly has he dove into Dean’s arms. Peppering kisses across his fiance’s jaw and eventually claiming his mouth. 

The kids piled on top of them after Dean slid the ring on his left hand, and they hugged them tightly until he was sure that the suit his fiance’ was wearing would need dry cleaned. The thoughts that ran through his mind elicited sparks of excitement every single time they mentioned the word fiance’, or even husband. He was sure at that precise moment that he had everything he could possibly want. Although, he wouldn’t be opposed to having another child someday, but they could talk about that later, for now he had just what he needed.


End file.
